Connecticut
Hartford community grieves men killed in police shootings
The Hartford community is grappling with two police shootings that happened within eight days of each other. Both started off as mental health calls about someone in distress.
People came together to remember one of the men killed at a vigil on Wednesday evening.
With hands joined, a prayer for peace and comfort was spoken for the family of Everard Walker. He was having a mental health crisis when a family member called 211 on Feb.19.
Two mental health professionals from the state-operated Capitol Regional Mental Health Center requested Hartford police come with them to Walker’s apartment on Capitol Avenue.
A scuffle ensued, and police said it looked like Walker was going to stab an officer. The brief fight ended with an officer shooting and killing Walker.
The family is planning to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the city.
“All I will have now is a tombstone and the voicemails he left on my phone that I listen over and over again at night just so I can fall asleep,” Menan Walker, one of Walker’s daughters, said.
City councilman Josh Michtom (WF) is asking whether police could have acted differently.
“To me, the really concerning thing is why the police were there at all, why they went into that apartment in the way that they did, in the numbers that they did,” he said.
The president of Hartford’s police union, James Rutkauski, asked the community to hold their judgment and wait for a full investigation by the Inspector General’s office to be completed.
A different tone was taken in a statement released about another police shooting on Blue Hills Avenue on Feb. 27.
Rutkauski said the union fully supports the officer who fired at 55-year-old Steven Jones, who was holding a knife during a mental health crisis.
In part, the union’s statement says that Jones “deliberately advanced on the officer in a manner that created an immediate threat of death or serious bodily injury. This was a 100% justified use of deadly force.”
The Inspector General’s office will determine if the officer was justified following an investigation.
The officer who shot Jones was the fourth to arrive on the scene. Three others tried to get him to drop the knife, even using a taser, before the shooting.
“It just feels like beyond the conduct of any one officer, we have this problem, which is that we send cops for every problem,” Michtom said. “I don’t know how you can de-escalate at the point of a gun.”
Jones died from his injuries on Tuesday.
The union’s statement went on to say that officers should not be society’s default for mental health professionals. The statement said in part, “We ask for renewed commitment from our legislators to remove police from being the vanguard of what should be a mental health professional response.”
The officers involved in both shootings are on administrative leave.
Connecticut
Man charged with murder in Hartford
A man was charged with murder and interfering with police on Sunday night.
According to police, officers were dispatched to an apartment on Washington Street for a wellness check of a woman who was reportedly unconscious and not breathing.
When officers arrived, they made contact with a man in the apartment who refused to cooperate and would not allow officers access. They then had to force entry into the apartment where they located the victim suffering from severe head trauma as well as the aggressive male, police said.
The man was secured and transported to the Hartford Police Detention Facility and is being held on a million-dollar bond.
The victim was revealed to be 76-year-old Linda Anthony and was pronounced deceased on scene.
The Hartford Police Major Crimes and Crime Scene Divisions responded to the scene and assumed the investigation.
Connecticut
Hartford police investigate a fatal vehicle accident
Hartford police are investigating a fatal vehicle accident that occurred early Sunday morning in the area of Elizabeth and North Beacon Street.
Police say they were dispatched to the area for reports of a single vehicle crash and found a 2013 Hyundai Sonata crashed into a retaining wall on the west side of the intersection.
According to police, 31-year-old Shalique Payne of Manchester sustained serious life-threatening injuries.
He was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The Hartford Police Crime Division responded and is investigating the scene.
The victim has not been identified and anyone with information is asked to call the Tip Line at 860-722-TIPS (8477).
Connecticut
Hartford Men’s Lacrosse Completes Comeback Win Against Western Connecticut State University – University of Hartford Athletics
DANBURY, Conn. – The University of Hartford men’s lacrosse team picked up a huge road victory on Saturday defeating Western Connecticut State University by a 10-8 final.
Rapid Recap:
- The Wolves scored the first three goals of the contest over the first eight minutes of action. Hartford got their first goal nine minutes into the first as sophomore Shaun Wright (Frederick, Md.) buried a goal from junior Michael Novotny (Cornwall, N.Y.). After an answer from West Conn, the Hawks would score back-to-back strikes as junior Jack Hart (Grafton, Mass.) scored the first goal, followed by a snipe from junior Colin Reilly (Southington, Conn.). The Wolves would tack on a fifth goal at the buzzer to take the 5-3 advantage into the second.
- The home team once again scored first to double the Hawk score, but this time Hartford battled back scoring three more times with two goals coming from sophomore Gavin Pelletier (Southington, Conn.) and the other coming from Wright. Senior Andrew Leibold (Chula Vista, Calif.) came into the goalie position making three saves as the teams were tied at 6-6 at halftime.
- Junior Aidan Ezra (New Milford, Conn.) gave Hartford their first lead in the contest lighting the lamp on an assist by Wright. West Conn would respond to even the score once again. Reilly would follow it up for the Hawks on a feed from senior Aidan Kemp (South Orange, N.J.). The Wolves would even it up just a minute later to draw the score at level once again. Hartford would stay in front as Novotny scored after a save from the West Conn keeper as the Hawks led 9-8 heading into the fourth.
- The fourth quarter was very chippy in the early stages. Ezra would get the lone goal in the period to give Hartford the 10-8 advantage. Graduate student Nick DiDomizio (Cheshire, Conn.) would cause a turnover followed by three more saves for Leibold as Hartford would pickup the 10-8 victory.
Post Game Press:
“It feels great to get a comeback win on the road against a good team”, said senior Andrew Leibold (Chula Vista, Calif.). “We showed a lot of resilience after going down early and did what we needed to do to get the job done.”
Inside The Numbers:
- Wright led the offense with two goals and an assist to go with four grounders and a caused turnover in the win. Ezra and Pelletier both added two goals and an assist in the victory. Kemp led the passing with two assists, while Novotny added a score and a helper. Reilly tallied two scores and Hart picked up his second collegiate goal to end the point scorers.
- Five Hawks each had one caused turnover in the win. Sophomore Ian Reynolds (Queensbury, N.Y.) went 12-19 from the face-off dot with 10 grounders to lead the way.
- Sophomore CJ Ledwick (Falmouth, Mass.) stopped just a single shot in 15 minutes. Leibold (Chula Vista, Calif.) added eight saves picking up the win while just allowing three goals in 45 minutes.
- Tristan McMahon led the Wolves with three goals in the loss.
- The Hawks held a 41-29 shots advantage in the win, while also grabbing 26 grounders compared to 24 for West Conn.
Up Next:
The Hawks will travel to Skidmore College on March 14th with a game taking place at 1:00 PM.
For the latest information on Hartford Athletics follow the Hawks on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.
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