On Monday, the Connecticut Inspector General charged Joseph Magnano, a former Hartford police officer, with manslaughter in connection with the Feb. 27 fatal shooting of Steven Jones, a 55-year-old Black man, according to state findings reviewed during the investigation.
Hartford police fired Magnano following the shooting, and the officer later turned himself in to law enforcement after the Inspector General’s review, according to Hartford Police Union President James Rutkauski. Information about Magnano’s attorney was not immediately available.
The shooting drew public outcry and renewed questions about how Hartford police respond to people in mental distress, after a 911 call from Jones’ sister described him as in crisis. Body camera footage, according to the report, showed Magnano arriving as three other officers were already trying to calm Jones, who had used a knife to cut himself and was described as suicidal.
Investigators said that even as other officers kept their distance and spoke softly, Magnano immediately began shouting for Jones to drop the knife. The report said Magnano then fired nine shots at Jones in less than a minute after leaving his vehicle.
In the arrest warrant issued Monday, the Connecticut Inspector General said investigators found Magnano “did not engage in de-escalation measures (and) he failed to make reasonable attempts to use non-lethal force.” The warrant also said Jones “did not pose an imminent threat to bystanders,” and that Magnano had “ample space” to back away.
The warrant further stated, “To the extent Magnano subjectively believed that Jones posed a risk of serious physical injuries to bystanders in the area, Magnano made no effort to move bystanders out of any perceived harm’s way.” In a sworn incident report, Magnano wrote that he was “fearful of Jones making a sudden lunge towards either an officer or citizen,” according to the report.
At a news conference Monday, Rutkauski, the police union president, accused the Inspector General’s office of rushing its findings. Rutkauski said Magnano was “defending his fellow officers, the community, himself,” according to the report.
Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney representing Jones’ family, called the charges a “necessary and meaningful step toward accountability.” In a statement, Crump said, “Stevie was in the middle of a mental health crisis, and instead of receiving the care he needed, he was shot nine times,” adding, “This charge reflects what the family has known all along, that what happened to Stevie was not justified.”