Family of man shot by Hartford police represented by prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump
The family of the second man shot and killed by Hartford Police last month is speaking out. A prominent civil rights lawyer is representing the family of Steve Jones, and they say they are exploring all their legal options to get justice for their loved one.
NBC Connecticut has confirmed that Officer Joseph Magnano, who reportedly shot Jones nine times, is out on paid administrative leave.
The Office of Inspector General says on February 27, a family member called 911 after Jones was cutting himself with a knife. They say he held the knife and walked toward the officers but didn’t speak. The officers ordered him to drop the knife. The state says Officer Magnano arrived on the scene after other officers ordered Jones to drop the knife, then shot nine times as Joes walked toward him.
Jones later died at the hospital. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled his death as a homicide.
Prominent civil rights attorney, Ben Crump, is asking questions about why Magnano shot Jones after other officers were trying to de-escalate.
“I assume he will try to reference that he felt in fear of his life,” said Crump. “The question then becomes but why didn’t the other three officer shoot? Why did the other officers not use nine bullets? Why did they have respect?”
Crump says they’ll be exploring all civil legal options and say they are advocating for criminal charges to be investigated on the state level too.
Jones’s sister Audrey said he needed medical support, not police intervention.
“I screamed at police to not shoot; he didn’t take his meds. They shot him anyway,” Audrey said.
The NAACP of Greater Hartford says they are calling for change on how mental health emergencies are handled in the city.
“A cry for help in Hartford should never become a fatal encounter,” said Corrie Betts, of the Greater Hartford NAACP.
Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam says he believes mental health specialists were notified but weren’t there on time.
“We want to make sure that this system works better, that we will watch very closely, and we will continue to try to strengthen that mental health response, to ensure that every member of this community feels safe, regardless of mental state, which they’re in,” said Arulampalam.
He says the city’s investigation into the incident, including that of the civilian police review board, can’t begin until the state finishes theirs.
“There’s a process in place, and it’s one that we want to work to ensure it plays out, transparently and with real accountability,” he said.
This was the second time a Hartford police officer shot and killed someone having a mental health crisis in an eight-day period. The first shooting is also under investigation by the Inspector General, and the family of Everard Walker intends to pursue legal action, too.
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