Hartford police pulled over a man accused of brandishing a firearm at a car dealership when the suspect got out of his vehicle and began shooting at an officer.
By Taylor Hartz Source Hartford Courant
A man who reportedly fired a weapon at a Hartford Police Department officer was fatally shot by the officer on Monday afternoon, city officials said.
According to Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, officers were called to the area of Westland and Barbour Streets for reports of an armed person in a vehicle who had been making threats.
The vehicle, a silver Honda with Florida license plates, had been the subject of an earlier 9-1-1 call about someone brandishing a firearm at a car dealership, city officials said at a press conference on Monday.
Bronin said he reviewed surveillance footage of the shooting and witnessed Hartford police officers attempt to pull the car over with their lights and sirens fully activated.
Before the officer got out of his vehicle, a man got out of the passenger side of the Honda and began walking toward the back of the vehicle.
As the officer approached, Bronin said, “You can see in the video this individual raises his arm with a handgun in it.”
The man reportedly fired at the officer. There was “an exchange of gunfire,” Bronin said, and the man was shot. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to Bronin.
The officer was not injured in the incident, according to city officials.
Bronin said the investigation was still ongoing.
“There’s still a lot to learn about this incident,” Bronin said. “This is a difficult and painful thing for our community. I’m very grateful that our police officer is uninjured. He very easily could have been killed today.”
Police are searching for the driver of the car involved in the incident. It was not yet clear how many people were in the car, but the driver fled from the scene, Bronin said.
The mayor on Monday released an image taken from a surveillance camera near Barbour Street that shows the officer and the man both aiming weapons at each other.
Bronin said that state statute requires that footage from the officer’s body-worn camera be released, but the investigation is now in the hands of the Office of the Inspector General.
“We believe that it is important to be as transparent as possible and show every bit of footage that we can find,” said the mayor. “Our community deserves to see as much information as possible as quickly as possible.”