On Tuesday, a state trooper, in Connecticut, was apprehended. This comes two years after he shot a driver who had been surrounded by police after a car chase.
The state’s inspector general said that Trooper Brian North has been charged with first-degree manslaughter. This is in connection to the death of Mubarak Soulemane, 19, in West Haven, on January 15, 2020.
North was freed on bond and was put on administrative leave as an investigation continues.
Authorities say that on the date of the incident, Soulemane had stolen a car and led deputies on a car pursuit. After they had him surrounded, one officer broke his passenger window, and another officer tried to shoot Soulemane with the taser. However, it didn’t deploy, body cam footage revealed.
Authorities say that North fired his weapon seven times through the driver’s side window when Soulemane produced a knife.
Soulemane’s relatives and the NAACP have shown their opposition to the shooting. They say there was no reason for Soulemane to get shot because he was boxed in by police and couldn’t get away.
They added that authorities should have tried to find another way to handle the incident.
It was noted that Soulemane was attending a community college as he dealt with schizophrenia.
An investigation conducted by the attorney general’s office revealed that the force used by North was not justified.
Relatives of Soulemane say that his behavior had been out of control days prior to the incident. They state that he might not have been taking his medicine.
Many have called for more training for officers on how to handle people that are experiencing a crisis. The inspector general stated that de-escalation “could and should have been attempted…”
North is set to appear in Milford Superior Court on May 3.
