Several community activist groups are planning a rally on Sunday demanding transparency around a fatal police-involved shooting in Hartford.
Members with Hartford-area advocacy groups including BLM860, New Britain Racial Justice, Muslim Justice Center, PowerUp CT, CT Palestine Solidarity Coalition, and Kamora’s Cultural Corner will hold a press conference and community gathering Sunday at 2 p.m. at 900 Capitol Ave., according to organizers.
The rally is being held after a fatal police shooting on Thursday. Officers were called to an apartment at 990 Capitol Ave. to assist the Capitol Region Mental Health Center with an evaluation around 10 a.m. During the incident, a man allegedly pulled out a knife before at least one officer fired shots, according to Lt. Aaron Boisvert of the Hartford Police Department.
Police: Knife-wielding man shot, killed by officer in Hartford
“Police were called to assist with transporting the father to the hospital during a mental health emergency. Instead of receiving medical care and support, he was shot and killed by responding officers. The incident has devastated the family and shaken the Hartford community,” the groups said in a joint statement.
The groups are calling for transparency and accountability from the Hartford Police Department.
“This was a call for help — not a call for execution,” organizers said in a press release. “A family reached out for assistance during a mental health crisis, trusting that their loved one would receive care. Instead, he was met with deadly force. This is a profound failure of our emergency response system, and our community deserves answers.”
The groups said they are demanding “full transparency and release of all body camera footage and incident reports, an independent investigation into the shooting, immediate suspension of the officer involved pending a full investigation, and support and resources for the family and impacted community, and meaningful changes to ensure mental health crises are met with care from police officers.”
“This family deserved support. This father deserved care. Hartford deserves a system that protects life instead of taking it,” organizers said.
The Connecticut Office of Inspector General is investigating the shooting. The inspector general investigates all use of deadly force cases by law enforcement and all in-custody deaths. The office is required by law to release body camera footage within 96 hours from when the incident occurred. The office was created to remove police shootings from local prosecutors and centralize the investigation and possible prosecution in an independent office.
Stephen Underwood can be reached at [email protected].