State Investigation Finds Shot Cop ​“Justifiably” Shot Back

The state’s inspector general has determined that New Haven Police Officer Chad Curry ​“justifiably used deadly force to defend himself” when he returned fire at a man who shot him twice, and hit his police cruiser six times, while fleeing from a car crash in Fair Haven in the early hours of a Friday morning in October 2022.

That’s the conclusion of a 26-page report released on Thursday morning by state Inspector General Robert J. Devlin, Jr.

The investigation at the center of the report pertains to an incident that left Curry shot and seriously injured on Oct. 7, 2022.

According to the inspector general’s write-up, at around 1:30 a.m. that day, Curry — who’s been a police officer for nearly a decade — was patrolling Fair Haven on River Street near Poplar Street, when he heard what sounded like a car crash. 

He observed a car that had struck a utility pole on Chapel Street. He approached a man, later identified as 36-year-old Jose Claudio, near the car. When Curry called out to him at the intersection of Chapel and Blatchley as Claudio fled the scene, Claudio ​“turned and fired multiple shots at Officer Curry striking the front windshield of his police vehicle.”

Curry got out of his cruiser and shot back. The man who had initiated the gunfire then fired still more shots at Curry. 

By the end of the exchange of gunfire, Curry had been hit twice — once in the area of his left ear, once in his right rear shoulder. A doctor later described Curry’s injuries as ​“serious but not life threatening.” Curry’s police car was also hit six times.

The Western District Major Crime Squad (WDMCS) recovered a total of 26 bullet casings from the scene. The Division of Scientific Services Firearms Unit determined that Curry fired 16 of those bullets, and Claudio fired 10.

The inspector general’s report concludes that Curry ​“used deadly force in order to defend himself from the actual use of deadly force against him. Such use of force was objectively reasonable and justified under Connecticut law. Consideration of the three reasonableness factors set forth in §53a-22 (c)(2) does not suggest a different conclusion.” The man who shot at Curry ​“was clearly armed with a deadly weapon, there was no opportunity to engage in de-escalation measures, and Officer Curry did nothing to precipitate the confrontation.

“The investigation establishes that Officer Chad Curry justifiably used deadly force to defend himself. The Office of Inspector General will take no further action on this mater.”

According to the state’s criminal court database, Claudio is being held on a $1.5 million bond and has pleaded not guilty to a host of felony and misdemeanor charges stemming from the October 2022 shooting, including attempt to commit murder, first-degree assault, criminal possession of a firearm, and reckless endangerment.