Death of man shot by Hartford officer was a homicide, Inspector General says
The Office of the Inspector General said on Friday that the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has determined the deadly shooting of Steven Jones by a Hartford police officer was a homicide.
New details were released in a preliminary status report by the Inspector General a week after the shooting, where Officer Joseph Magnano shot Jones nine times on Friday, Feb. 27. Jones was in critical condition at the hospital, and he later died, the Inspector General said on Wednesday.
The medical examiner also determined the cause of death to be complications of gunshot wounds involving the torso, according to the report. A toxicological analysis of biological samples taken from Jones is pending.
Police were called by a family member of 55-year-old Steven Jones around 11 a.m. on Feb. 27 “to seek assistance because Jones was having an acute mental health crisis,” the Inspector General’s report said.
The family member said Jones cut himself and had a knife in his hand. When officers arrived at 687 Blue Hills Ave., Jones was standing at the entrance to his apartment with the “large knife,” according to the report, which was released on the Division of Criminal Justice’s website Monday.
Jones then walked out onto the street with the knife and toward Officer Josue Charles, who backed away and repeatedly told Jones to drop the knife. Charles tried deploying his Taser several times, but it didn’t work, the report said.
In the next five minutes, three more officers — Officers James Prignano, Jackeline Torres, and Joseph Magnano — arrived at the scene to assist. They all asked Jones to drop the knife. Several bystanders attempted to persuade him to drop it as well, according to the report.
Before Magnano arrived, Charles, Prignano, and Torres “formed a small semi-circle around Jones on the street while continuing to engage with him,” the report said.
“At no point does it appear that Jones spoke to the officers,” the report stated.
Magnano was the last officer to arrive on the scene. He approached Jones with his firearm out, asked him to drop the knife, and said, “You’re going to get shot.” As Jones continued to walk toward Magnano with the knife, Magnano said, “Last time, drop the knife, drop it,” according to the report.
Magnano then shot Jones nine times, the report said.
Jones fell to the ground with gunshot wounds, and Officer Torres “quickly began to render medical aid to him.” Emergency Medical Service personnel arrived within two minutes, and he was sent to the hospital, according to the report.
Jones was in critical condition at the hospital’s intensive care unit, the report said, before dying from his injuries Tuesday afternoon.
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