The Connecticut Office of Inspector General has cleared a Waterbury police detective who returned fire at a suspect who had shot him during an investigation into multiple attempted carjackings.
Inspector General Eliot Prescott released a 37-page report on Wednesday outlining the investigation into the shooting, which found that Detective Raymond Sackett of the Waterbury Police Department acted in self-defense when he fired multiple rounds at Arian Perez-Feliciano on Feb. 13 shortly after 10 p.m. Perez-Feliciano, who was 38 years old at the time, was not shot, the report said.
A Waterbury police spokesperson said Wednesday the department had not yet received the report. “We therefore do not have any comments at this time,” the spokesperson said.
Sackett was shot by Perez-Feliciano after rounding the corner to a walkway in the rear of 16 Clairmont Ave., the report said.
In his statement to investigators, Sackett alleged that Perez-Feliciano emerged from the rear of the home with a gun that had a laser on it. Before he could react, Perez-Feliciano fired multiple rounds toward Sackett, according to the report.
Sackett said he could feel his right thigh had been shot. He said he fell to the ground and dropped his taser before drawing his firearm and firing multiple rounds toward the shooter, the report said. When he stopped firing, he claimed that he could no longer see anyone and called out for help.
“Given the exigency of the situation, there was no opportunity for deescalation, nor were there any actions by the police that precipitated or otherwise necessitated Detective Sackett’s use of deadly force,” Prescott wrote. “Having sustained a gunshot wound to his leg, Detective Sackett’s return of fire was undeniably an appropriate use of self-defense.
“Accordingly, I find that his use of deadly force was objectively reasonable and therefore legally justified under Connecticut law,” Prescott concluded, adding that his office will not take any further action.
According to Prescott’s report, police received a report three days before the officer-involved shooting indicating a woman had her vehicle stolen on Washington Avenue after she started it remotely and took her dog for a walk. She told authorities that, as she was coming back to her residence, she was approached by a man who touched her shoulder. The woman said she believed the man took her keys and made off with her vehicle.
On Feb. 13, police learned that the stolen Ford Explorer was involved in two attempted armed carjackings, Prescott wrote in the report. One victim told police he was parked on Waterville Street just before 8:30 p.m. in a 2012 Porsche Panamera when a white Ford SUV pulled up. He said a man in a ski mask with a gun then opened his door and told him to get out, but he was able to get the door closed and shift the car into drive before leaving the area, the report said.
Shortly before 9 p.m., a man who had just left a tobacco shop on Chase Avenue was in his 2015 BMW M4 when a white SUV pulled up, the report said. The man said someone opened his door and pulled him from the car while trying to get his keys, according to the report.
As the suspect reached for his keys, the man said he could hear what sounded like a shotgun racking, the report said. He then spotted a second person standing at the rear of a Ford SUV pointing a shotgun at him.
The man said he put his hands up, at which point the first suspect took his key fob, according to the report. The victim went back into the store and called 911. He said he later learned that the suspects had not taken his car, the report said.
After police put a broadcast out for officers to be on the lookout for the white Ford Explorer, the vehicle was spotted multiple times in Waterbury and surrounding towns and would not stop for law enforcement who tried to pull the driver over. The vehicle was later found on America Street after someone reported hearing a car alarm going off and seeing three individuals running from the area, according to the report.
Sackett was assigned to the police department’s Vice and Intelligence Division, which was one of multiple units and divisions looking for the stolen vehicle. As investigators were canvassing the area after locating the Ford, someone approached Sackett and a sergeant telling them they saw the suspects running through their yard on Rutland Street, the report said.
Police made their way over to the area and spotted multiple individuals running. In his statement, Sackett said he yelled for them to stop and drew his taser. The shooting occurred after Sackett followed the individuals to the area of Clairemount Street.
Perez-Feliciano was arrested after an officer who heard the exchange of gunfire approached the area and found him trying to crawl into an open space between a bush and a home, the report said. The officer yelled out for Perez-Feliciano to show his hands and, as he did, the policeman spotted a gun, according to the report.
Perez-Feliciano was charged with conspiracy to commit murder, assault, attempted robbery and weapons charges. He remains held on a $800,000 bond while his cases are pending.
Alberto Rodriguez, 19, was arrested after he was found hiding behind a shed in the area where shots were exchanged. He faces robbery, threatening and weapons charges and is being held on bonds totaling more than $750,000 bond while the cases remain pending.
Sydney Reid, 19, was also arrested after someone saw him running on Wilson Street, the report said. Police followed footprints in the snow and took him into custody following a brief struggle, which ensued when he jumped out of a detached garage. He also faces robbery and weapons charges and remains held on bonds totaling more than $800,000.
Sackett was treated at an area hospital following the shooting.