The family of Everard Walker looks to file a lawsuit against the Hartford Police Department alleging it mishandled a mental health evaluation that unfolded and led to Walker being shot and killed by an officer last week.
Family members were joined by attorney Ken Krayeske at a press conference Wednesday at Hartford City Hall where they called on city officials to reach out to them for a “resolution” to avoid a wrongful death lawsuit being filed in connection with the fatal shooting of the 53-year-old last Thursday in his apartment on Capitol Avenue.
Video of the incident, released by the Connecticut Office of Inspector General, showed what appeared to be Walker raising a knife at police before he was shot by Officer Alexander Clifford.
“They took my world,” said Linda Gray, Walker’s wife of 29 years. “There’s no me without him.”
A tearful Gray made it only a few lines into her prepared statement before her emotions overwhelmed her and she asked Walker’s older brother to finish it. The statement went on to describe Walker as a “humble man” who worked and provided for his five children. Any woman would have been lucky to have someone like him, Gray wrote.
“This man saved my life,” Gray’s statement said.
According to the family, Walker had been on medication ever since he was allegedly given a “laced cigarette” last fall, which landed him in an involuntary psychiatric hospital in a “drug-induced” psychosis, causing him to miss the funeral for his stepdaughter who died of glioblastoma. Krayeske declined to say what medication Walker had been on or disclose any possible mental health conditions.
Walker’s family contacted 211 prior to the shooting after he ran out of medication, which they said he took so he could “eat and sleep.”
“They did not call 911 because they did not trust police to handle this situation,” Krayeske said. “Nor did they think police should be involved in a mental health situation.”
According to Krayeske, the family specifically told 211 not to contact police and that Walker was not experiencing a mental “crisis.” Two social workers from the Capitol Region Mental Health Center asked police for assistance before being joined by two police officers when they responded to Walker’s apartment shortly after 10 a.m. Throughout the hour-long interaction with Walker, Krayeske said the police response appeared to grow to about 11 officers at the scene.
Walker’s daughter, Nzinga, and his son, Jahdane, along with Gray were outside the door as the incident unfolded. Walker was inside the apartment. Krayeske said Walker’s family asked police to leave multiple times and even begged at one point, fearing the situation would not end well.
“We just wanted help,” Gray said in her statement. “We wanted an evaluation. We did not call police. We wanted a doctor.”
According to a preliminary report released by Inspector General Eliot Prescott, several officers entered the apartment at one point and retreated out of concerns that Walker would allegedly throw a pot of boiling water at them. They reentered the apartment just before 11 a.m. when Walker allegedly tried to close the apartment door and was being “physically restrained by his son,” Prescott wrote.
A scuffle then took place involving officers, Walker and his two children before Walker allegedly took out a knife, the preliminary report said. Krayeske said the blade was a “Jamaican knife” that “every Jamaican man carries.”
“Mr. Walker was defending his home against an unwarranted invasion by 11 officers with a 4-inch ratchet,” Krayeske said.
A preliminary report from the state Inspector General said a man who was shot and killed by Hartford police last week was holding a knife. (Connecticut Office of Inspector General)
According to the preliminary report, Walker raised the knife at one point at Officer Geovanny Rivera, who had fallen backwards. Video and multiple still images released from the incident appeared to corroborate the blade being raised.
Clifford drew his gun and fired several shots at Walker, who was later pronounced dead at a hospital, the report said.
Krayeske gave a scathing critique of the way police handled the situation, alleging that they took over the scene and did not allow the social workers to address Walker’s needs. He also questioned why they did not try to use a nonlethal form of force like a beanbag gun or a taser.
“I saw a tragedy unfold that was preventable,” Krayeske said.
An armed man was fatally shot by CT police. What the video shows
The videos released so far by Prescott include two clips about 20 seconds long from the body cameras of Clifford and Rivera and a clip taken from Nzinga’s iPad, which she was using to FaceTime someone. Two image stills appearing to show Walker with a knife in his hand were also released.
“The initial report has published only the most inflammatory images from that incident,” Krayeske said, adding that the family is “hesitant” to trust the outcome of Prescott’s investigation.
“The OIG, we hope, is not tipping its hand toward exoneration of the officers,” Krayeske said, questioning why only 20 seconds from an hour-long encounter have been released.
Krayeske said the family’s distrust of authorities stems from the numerous officer-involved killings of Black men and women over the years, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tamir Rice and countless others.
“And now we add Everard Walker to that terrible list,” Krayeske said.
“We complain about what happened in Minnesota with (the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement),” Krayeske said. “What’s the difference here? This was a man’s home sanctuary. It wasn’t in the street. He needed mental health help. He did not need 11 cops armed to the teeth.”
Krayeske called on Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam to reach out to avoid a wrongful death lawsuit, which he said could take six years to litigate and would cause additional suffering for Walker’s family.
“How much should this family have to bear?” Krayeske asked, adding that he would file a lawsuit “as soon as possible” if he did not hear from the mayor.
A spokesperson for Arulampalam did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hartford police spokesperson Lt. Aaron Boisvert said he could not offer any comment. Earlier this week, Boisvert said the officers involved in the incident have been placed on administrative leave while the inspector general’s investigation takes place.
The Hartford police union did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.