The Connecticut State Police will hold a memorial service on Tuesday Jan. 16, 2024 for police K-9 Broko, who died in the line of duty on Dec. 21, 2023, and the event will be streamed on Facebook, according to the agency.
The Connecticut Office of Inspector General in December released a preliminary report and body camera footage revealing new details in the officer-involved shooting that led to the death of the suspect and state police K-9 Broko.
The report by Inspector General Robert Devlin, Jr., said 42-year-old Vaughn R. Malloy died as a result of gunfire that was returned by police outside a Pawcatuck residence on Dec. 21. Devlin is investigating the officer-involved shooting.
K-9 Broko was a graduate of the 218th Connecticut State Police Patrol K-9 Class in January 2021. He and his handler were assigned to Troop A in Southbury and then to the Connecticut State Police K-9 Unit.
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The memorial service for Broko will be open to Connecticut State Police sworn and civilian personnel only, or by invitation, according to the agency. “At the request of K9 Broko’s family, the service is not open to the general public or media,” according to Connecticut State Police.
Dog teams from NESPAC, or the New England State Police Administrators Conference and from Connecticut municipalities will attend the service, state police said. Dog teams from across the country – who have trained with the CSP K9 Unit – also were invited to attend, state police said.
The service will be livestreamed on the Connecticut State Police Facebook page for those who would like to watch the service, the agency said.
Photo courtesy of Connecticut State PoliceK-9 Broko was killed in the line of duty while Connecticut State Police were trying to serve arrest and search warrants at a home in the Pawcatuck section of Stonington Thursday evening. (Photo courtesy of Connecticut State Police)
The service is scheduled for 10 a.m. January 16, state police said.
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According to Devlin’s report, members of the Connecticut State Police Violent Crime Task Force East, which also includes officers from the Norwich, Groton and Waterford Police Departments, attempted to arrest Malloy around 7:30 p.m. Dec. 21 at a residence located on Mechanic Street in connection with a warrant tied to a shooting reported in Norwich on April 28, 2022. A warrant had been out for Malloy’s arrest since June 20, 2022, in connection with the shooting, during which police allege he fired a gun into the front of a residence, striking a female victim.
Police attempting to arrest Malloy last Thursday had not yet recovered the gun used in the Norwich incident, according to Devlin’s report.
Body camera footage released in conjunction with Devlin’s preliminary report showed police outside the residence using what appeared to be a megaphone or PA system to call out multiple times, “This is Connecticut State Police with a warrant.” Police also asked Malloy multiple times to come to the front door with his hands up and nothing in his hands.
According to Devlin’s report, the tactical unit decided to breach the front door of the residence using an extended ram attached to the front of an armored vehicle. Shortly after the front door was breached, Malloy ran out of the residence through a rear door and into the backyard, Devlin wrote.
The tactical team spotted Malloy with a pistol and told him to stop, according to Devlin’s report.
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“He’s running, he’s running,” an officer can be heard saying in the bodycam footage.
According to Devlin, a tactical team member deployed two “less lethal impact munitions” at Malloy as he disregarded commands to stop and continued running east. The body camera footage shows that K-9 Broko approached Malloy as he fell to the ground.
According to the preliminary report, Malloy fired several rounds at the K-9, killing him, and at authorities, striking a police vehicle. In response, Sgt. Sean Paddock and Troopers Gregory Fascendini, Christopher Church and Jarred Bolduc returned fire, striking Malloy several times, according to the report.
State police have said they were mourning the death of K-9 Broko, who they said “ultimately sacrificed his life doing what he was known best for.”
“K-9 Broko courageously gave his life protecting his handler, fellow troopers and our community,” state police said. “K-9 Broko was not just a loyal companion; he was a hero in every sense, embodying the values of courage, loyalty, selflessness and the highest standards of the Connecticut State Police. His sacrifice will forever be etched in our hearts and never be forgotten.”
As of early 2025, the Connecticut State Police was facing a staffing shortage of roughly 300 troopers compared to the more than 1,200 troopers the department had in its ranks over a decade ago. This is due largely to retirements, resignations and a shrinking applicant pool.
Recent academy classes are helping slowly rebuild staffing, but Gov. Ned Lamont and police leadership say Connecticut still needs substantially more troopers to meet public safety demands. More recently, news outlets reported the department had 938 troopers.
This spring, troopers negotiated a 4.5% wage hike with state officials. Troopers’ base pay is on average about $116,000 per year, but that rises to $175,000 per year once overtime is included.
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Reginald David is the Community Engagement Reporter for CT Mirror. He builds relationships across Connecticut to elevate community voices and deepen public dialogue around local issues. Previously, he was a producer at KCUR 89.3, Kansas City’s NPR station, where he created community-centered programming, led live event coverage for major events like the NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl Parade, and Royals Opening Day, and launched KC Soundcheck, a music series spotlighting local and national artists. Reginald has also hosted special segments, including an in-depth interview with civil rights leader Alvin Brooks and live community coverage on issues like racial segregation and neighborhood development. He began his public media career as an ‘Integrity in News’ intern at WNPR in Hartford.
Meteorologists are predicting the next storm system in Connecticut could bring a couple inches of snow this weekend.
WTNH reports snow will start late Saturday night and continue into Sunday morning.
“There is pretty good agreement with light snow amounts statewide with up to around 2″ expected,” WTNH says.
Find out what’s happening in Across Connecticutfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
WFSB reports long-range models have been “all over the place with the development of a coastal storm.”
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According to WFSB, some show the system moving to the south of Connecticut, which would make the impact on weekend plans “minimal.” Another model, however, shows a greater impact on Connecticut, which could mean a “coating to an inch” of snow, WFSB reports.
Find out what’s happening in Across Connecticutfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
WFSB as of Thursday also predicts the timing would be late Saturday night through Sunday morning.
The National Weather Service as of Thursday has increased the odds of snow in this weekend timeframe to 50 percent, up from 30 percent.
In the short term, it is going to be very windy today.
The National Weather Service has advisories for northern and southern parts of Connecticut due to high winds, with possible gusts of up to 50 miles per hour.
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Today, Friday and daytime Saturday will be clear and dry, according to the National Weather Service, with high temperatures starting in the low to mid-30s and gradually warming.
“Saturday is the pick of the weekend, as it will be dry and relatively milder,” WFSB reports. “While we could start bright, cloud cover will be on the increase with temps that peak between 35 and 40. Sunday will be colder as temps only reach the upper 20s and lower 30s.”
The National Weather Service indicates the chance for snow begins around midnight Saturday.
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Here are the forecast details for northern Connecticut via the National Weather Service:
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Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 31. Breezy, with a west wind 18 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 43 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 20. West wind 14 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 43 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 32. West wind 13 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 16. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light southwest in the evening.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 36. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 8 mph in the morning.
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Saturday Night: A chance of snow, mainly after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Sunday: A chance of snow before 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 29. Northwest wind 5 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Here are the forecast details for southern Connecticut via the National Weather Service:
Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 34. Wind chill values between 20 and 25. West wind 16 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 43 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 22. Wind chill values between 10 and 15. West wind 14 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 41 mph.
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Friday: Sunny, with a high near 34. Wind chill values between 10 and 20. West wind 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 22. West wind around 6 mph becoming calm after midnight.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 39. Light west wind becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Saturday Night: Snow likely after 1 a.m. Cloudy, with a low around 26. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Sunday: A 50 percent chance of snow before 1 p.m. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 33.
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NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (WTNH) — An emergency room doctor at the Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain just returned to Connecticut after running seven marathons in seven days on seven continents — including Antarctica.
Dr. Lisa Bienia Kenton just finished running 183.4 miles in seven days to raise money for her niece and nephew who have a chromosomal disorder. Covering that much ground in just a week doesn’t allow for much time to sleep.
“We average about three hours a night,” Dr. Bienia Kenton said. “So, 21 hours we slept total for the seven days.”
It’s called the Great World Race. 60 runners started in Antarctica, then South Africa, then Australia, then the United Arab Emirates, then Portugal, then Colombia and finished in Miami.
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“In Antarctica, it was -30°C with a 30 mile an hour wind chill,” Dr. Bienia Kenton said. “So that was by far the most grueling and kind of gnarly things we experienced. Like, sometimes you don’t even know if you’re moving forward.”
Dr. Bienia Kenton is part of an elite group of female runners — only 166 have run a marathon on every continent and only a fraction of them have done it in seven days.
“I met a lot of great, strong women,” Dr. Bienia Kenton said. “A lot of moms, same demographic as me, and we kind of just powered each other through.”
She had support from her husband and sons, who encouraged her to do the race. She trained by running to her son’s baseball games and around the field before returning home. She said her husband got her time off work to run the race after talking to her boss, who met her in Miami and ran the last marathon with her.
She said the experience of running the Great World Race left her body bruised, but it changed her life.
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“I left there with this life, inner self or inner feeling of confidence, like I can tackle the world,” she said. “And maybe that’s going to wear off over time, but right now I’m riding that high.”
