Donald Passmore Obituary, Death; – The officers involved in the fatal shooting of a man in Wallingford in October 2023 have been deemed justified in their actions, as reported by the Office of the Inspector General.
The individual, identified as 62-year-old Donald Passmore, was shot by police on October 16, 2023, and subsequently succumbed to his injuries. Law enforcement responded to a residence on North Airline Road following a 911 call made at approximately 2:35 a.m., in which a caller reported that a man had shot himself in the face.
Officers Gordon McCaskill and Robert Bellucci arrived at the scene and spoke with a woman who indicated that her boyfriend had shot himself in their bedroom, according to the report from the Office of the Inspector General.
Upon entering the home, the officers announced their presence and inquired, “Where’s the gun?” The report indicates that Passmore communicated with the officers from the bedroom, where he was found lying on the bed.
The officers engaged Passmore for approximately nine minutes, urging him to raise his hands and repeatedly instructing him not to touch the firearm, as detailed in the Office of the Inspector General’s report. The report notes that Passmore stated, “One of you is gonna go,” before seizing the gun and aiming it at the officers.
At 2:54 a.m., the officers shouted, “Don’t touch the gun!” and “Put your right hand up!” Subsequently, Officers Robert Bellucci and Gordon McCaskill discharged approximately ten rounds at Passmore. Authorities confirmed that Passmore was in possession of a loaded revolver. He was transported to MidState Medical Center in Meriden, where he was pronounced dead about an hour later.
The report concludes, “Based on the facts developed during the investigation, I have determined that Officers Bellucci and McCaskill used deadly force to defend themselves from what they reasonably believed to be a threat of serious injury or death. Accordingly, I find such use of force to be objectively reasonable and justified.”
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner established that Passmore died from gunshot wounds to the torso, and the manner of death was classified accordingly.
