Newly released bodycam video shows the moment gunfire erupts between Connecticut police officers and a wanted man, who was fatally struck during the violent confrontation.
The suspect, 36-year-old Jebrell Conley, had an outstanding warrant for his arrest on a robbery and a related firearm charge at the time of the officer-involved shooting, according to a preliminary report released by the state Inspector General’s Office on Monday.
Authorities on Thursday managed to track Conley to the Splash Car Wash, after a license plate reader clocked his vehicle at the business in the vacuum bay area. Upon arriving at the scene, three officers — identified as Connecticut State Police Sergeant Colin Richter, New Haven Police Sergeant Francisco Sanchez and New Haven Police Officer Michael Valente — attempted to block Conley’s Hyundai Tucson and prevent him from leaving the lot.
From there, the officers moved to apprehend Conley, who in turn, fired off a round from inside his vehicle, shattering the front driver’s side window, bodycam video of the altercation shows. All three officers then returned fire.
Conley was struck several times and rushed to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide, concluding that he died of gunshot wounds to the torso and upper right extremity.
A handgun with a high capacity magazine, which authorities believe fell from Conley’s vehicle after the gunfire, was recovered from the scene. Per a preliminary investigation, the weapon jammed after Conley fired off the first round.
New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson told reporters at a news conference Monday that he believes the officers used appropriate force based on the report and the body camera footage.
“They had to fire to prohibit themselves from being shot, or anybody else in immediate area,” Jacobson said. “We’re lucky we’re not burying officers.”
Conley’s family, however, had a different take upon viewing the clips.
“I had to see my father get murdered in front of my eyes,” Conley’s daughter, who was not named, told WTNH.
“If anything, you ask me in that video, I saw him covering his head,” she said. “He was trying to cover his head. You was shooting him from every which way,”
Both New Haven police officers, Sanchez and Valente, were placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. They’ve each been with the department for 12 and 11 years, respectively.