State police shot to death a 19-year-old Fair Havener who was schizophrenic, was a second-year student at Gateway Community College, and loved playing basketball and lacrosse.
The brother and uncle of Mubarak Soulemane painted that picture Friday amid calls for a federal probe.
Hours later, state police released body cam and dash cam footage from the car chase and shooting—revealing a state trooper firing a handful of shots at Soulemane through a closed driver-side window.
The brother and uncle of the officer-involved shooting victim, Mubarak Soulemane, painted that picture of their suddenly gone family member Friday morning at a press conference convened by Rev. Boise Kimber and a half-dozen fellow local clergy at the First Calvary Baptist Church on Dixwell Avenue in Newhallville.
His case has raised questions about why state police conducted a high-space chase that Norwalk police had called off; and whether they needed to shoot when dealing with a mentally ill man who allegedly had a knife.
Update: State police released on Friday dash cam and body cam video and audio from the highway chase and shooting. Click on the video at the top of the article to watch. The shooting takes place at the 1:02:45 mark of the video.
Two state troopers can be seen rushing up to Soulemane’s car with their guns drawn. One fires six or seven shots through the closed driver-side window roughly 30 seconds later. That trooper then removes an object from the car and places it on the car’s hood.
Saeed Soulemane, 25, described his late brother Friday as “very outgoing” and “very loving.”
“He wants to put a smile on everyone’s face,” he said at a press conference convened at First Calvary Baptist Church on Dixwell Avenue.
Saeed Soulemane said Mubarak (whom most reports so far have misidentified as having the first name, not the last name, Soulemane) was the youngest of five siblings. He had recently graduated from Notre Dame High School in Fairfield, and was a second-year student at Gateway Community College who aspired to attend Roger Williams University in Rhode Island.
“He was a really bright student,” Saeed said. “He had his ups and downs. But he managed to pull through Notre Dame with a 3.5 GPA.”
“My brother never even got to experience that college experience,” he said.
“He’s not violent,” added Saeed’s maternal uncle, Tahir Mohammad, who said he came up to New Haven from his home in New York after he found out about his nephew’s death. He said his sister, Mubarak and Saeed’s mother, is currently on her way back to New Haven from Ghana.
“Mubarak has no criminal record,” Mohammad said. “He’s never been violent to anyone outside the house and the home.”
A review of the state’s online judicial database showed that Mubarak Soulemane no past criminal convictions. He does have two pending criminal cases, according to the judicial database. One is for not obeying a stop sign and for driving with a suspended license. In the second case the charges have been statutorily sealed and are not visible for public view.
“I’ll Never Forget You”
Saeed and Mohammad’s description of Mubarak rang true with a public Facebook post made Thursday by one of Mubarak’s former teachers at Notre Dame High School, Jessica Mazal.
“This was one of my very first students,” she wrote. “He had the brightest smile and a beautiful but wounded heart. When they tell you he was a criminal, or just another black boy, remember he came from a broken family and had it harder than most. When they tell you he was a thug, remember he was a great lacrosse and basketball player. When they tell you that cops have to “defend themselves” remember he didn’t have a gun. Like usual. Another young black boy killed by cops who can’t do their job well. And if this angers you, please delete me. I’m angry too.
“Mubi, I’m so happy I taught you. I’m so happy you challenged me as a teacher. I’m happy that when I disciplined you, you apologized and treated me with kindness. I’m grateful you always asked me how I was doing, always smiled at me in the hallway, and always said hello. I’m sorry the world didn’t do justice by you.
“I’m sorry you didn’t always have the love and support you deserved. I’ll never forget you, and I promise that now that this has hit so close to home, I’ll NEVER shut my mouth in the face of injustice.
“America. Stop killing black and brown men.”
“He Never Came Back”
Saeed Soulemane said that he spoke with the New Haven police earlier this week about his brother. A New Haven police officer spoke on the phone with Mubarak, a day before his brother state troopers shot and killed him.
Saeed said that his brother left their house on Blatchley Avenue at around 3 p.m. Tuesday.
“I was really concerned,” he said. “I was calling him, telling him to come back to the house. He never came back.”
He said he called the city police to let him know that his brother had gone missing, and that a local officer came to his house Wednesday morning to ask about Mubarak.
Saeed said he told the officer that Mubarak has schizophrenia. He said that officer went back to his car, called Mubarak, and that the officer and Mubarak spoke briefly. He said the officer told Mubarak that his brother, Saeed, was concerned about his whereabouts.
“My brother hung up on” the officer, Saeed said.
Saeed said the officer came back to the house, promised to put Mubarak’s name and info into a missing persons report, and asked Saeed to stay calm and to try to cool down his brother when he found his way home.
At 1 a.m. Thursday, Saeed said, he heard a pounding on his front door.
“I wake up. I’m scared. I’m thinking this is my brother.” Instead, he found three state troopers. He let them in, and they told him that his brother had been shot and killed.
“I don’t know how to feel at this moment,” Saeed said. “There’s definitely an injustice. Something’s gotta give. This can’t keep happening.”
Mohammad said that his nephew’s mental illness was well know to Norwalk police, West Haven police, and New Haven police. “Mubarak has a mental health issue,” he said.
“Norwalk cops knew of him. West Haven cops knew of him. New Haven cops are aware of this.”
“All the family wants is, we want some answers,” he said. “That’s all we want. Cause they’re not telling us enough. He was in the car. He was shot sitting down in the car. That doesn’t make sense to us. So we want some answers. That’s all we want.”
“Deadly Pandemic”
The Rev. Boise Kimber and the fellow pastors who organized the press conference Friday called on the U.S. Attorney’s Office to investigate the shooting. This shouldn’t be left to the state to investigate, Kimber said, because that would mean that one state agency would be investigating another.
“Car pursuits by police are a dangerous and deadly pandemic in Connecticut,” the state American Civil Liberties Union said in a statement (which can be read in full here ). “It is deeply concerning that despite the legislature taking action to try to rein in these deadly police decisions, 2020 has begun with policing chasing and killing another person. When police choose to chase someone in a car, they are escalating a situation and endangering the lives of police, pedestrians, and all motorists on that road.”
Some of the outstanding questions about the killing may be addressed in coming days when the state police release video footage of the incident.
“Transparency and accountability in law enforcement has been our most critical goal since my appointment,” state public safety Commissioner James Rovella is quoted as saying in press release Thursday. “Never is this more crucial than during the period immediately following a police involved shooting, especially when there is a loss of life. Governor Ned Lamont signed into a law a measure that ensures the public has body camera and dash cam video within 96 hours of the use of deadly force, a measure I supported in my role as Commissioner of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP). DESPP staff is working to get the video and much more info out to the community well ahead of the 96 hour mandate. We hope that the release of the information provides the transparency and some of the answers our community deserves.”
Extremely Sad. He was just a young man . I would hope a full impartial investigation is done. One of the Pastors was absolutely right when it was said there is too much of white police officers shooting and at times killing young black men without justification. I am a white lifelong 52 year old New Haven resident, and this story saddened me. I pray that the family may find peace.
posted by: Positive4NewHaven on January 17, 2020 5:33pm
Tragic, this is a sad, sad day. This family will have to live with this for the rest of their lives. One can not even understand that events like this are still happening over and over.
His case has raised questions about why state police conducted a high-space chase that Norwalk police had called off; and whether they needed to shoot when dealing with a mentally ill man who allegedly had a knife.
Norwalk called this off, and the State Police kept on pursuing this, why???
Muhammad said that his nephew’s mental illness was well known to Norwalk police, West Haven police, and New Haven police. “Mubarak has a mental health issue,” he said.
“Norwalk cops knew of him. West Haven cops knew of him. New Haven cops are aware of this.”
How long will it take for ALL of the police departments to figure out how to handle a person with a mental illness without a gun?????
Jessica Mazal - God bless you for not giving up on this boy! You helped him tremendously, and you still have his back. Your post is lovely!
Everyone keep this family in your prayers and pray that all of the police departments can finally begin to learn about mental health and not be so trigger happy. There are no words to express sorrow for such a tragic event. The first step to all police departments - Mental Health First Aid!!!
posted by: Noteworthy on January 17, 2020 10:24pm
Wait a Minute Notes:
1. These preachers foment misinformation, not truth. Dismissed. Especially Kimber.
2. This adult has never been violent - just suddenly went wickedly violent in a store, jacking a car and putting dozens if not hundreds of people at risk on the highway including ramming cop cars and so on.
3. There is no need for a federal investigation. The cops will release the video they have, the 911 calls and so on. The state cops have a good record of investigating these shootings. Let them do their work.
4. It is entirely premature for the family or these preachers to be suggesting something nefarious. Give it a rest.
posted by: Fitzy14 on January 18, 2020 1:25am
So this adult committed a violent felony, engaged police in a chase, had a deadly weapon, and we are supposed to blame the Troopers who stopped his crime spree?
posted by: Thelogic on January 18, 2020 8:05am
After reviewing the bodycam footage my conclusion is that lethal force wasnt neccessary at that particular time, he couldn’t harm anyone at that particular time from the position he was in. The driver side of the car was pinned in with a state troopers vehicle. So how could he have gotten out? They say he made a sudden move but had he went to roll down the window to inform them of that fact, that probably would have been considered a sudden move also, therefore justification for using deadly force also. Black people whenever in contact with enforcement officials just comply with their orders right or wrong just comply. Blacks dont get the same treatment unfortunately so just comply.
posted by: Offtherails on January 18, 2020 8:21am
The reports never said he was a criminal. They reports just stated the alleged criminal acts that led to the shooting. How is anyone supposed to know he was mentally ill at that particular time and place ? Yes, he was reported missing and cops knew of his condition when the report was placed but did the state troopers know who he was beforehand? And yes mental illness needs to be de-stigmatized societally and culturally.
posted by: CityYankee on January 18, 2020 8:40am
Bosie Kimber—- never let a tragedy go to waste. Let’s have the facts before we rush to judgment. The sealed records may indicate more of the back story. Of course, the family claims that he was non-violent. BTW— Why does the NHI print every claim by family and preachers who weren’t there as Gospel fact but the details from the police who were there are all labeled as “alleged”???? Tryin’ to stir the pot a little on a slow news winter’s day?!?!?
posted by: Eric B. Smith on January 18, 2020 11:36am
I try to be fair, objective, and give the police the benefit of the doubt whenever possible, but I just saw the camera footage. Literally…the ONLY thing that could make this a reasonable and justifiable shooting is if the officer saw the driver reaching for a gun, not just any “sudden movement.” Given the positioning of the cars and the police officers, there’s no way the driver was a threat to them or anyone else unless he was reaching for a visible gun. Nothing else is relevant.
posted by: narcan on January 18, 2020 3:12pm
Insofar as even the local state’s attorney’s seem to not understand the standards by which US law demands use of force be considered, I will direct my fellow readers to the following applicable case law;
Graham vs. Connor
Scott vs. Harris
While the video may not look good, what the officer observed makes all the difference and is not the same as what the cameras see. Stopping a criminal who does not want to be stopped will always entail some measure of force and force never looks good in a civilized society.
We will now see if the state police holds themselves to the same standard they hold municipal police to.
The shame of it all is that had Soulemane simply stopped his car and cooperated, the next day he would’ve been a free man with a court date.
posted by: NHTeacherPE on January 18, 2020 4:36pm
I waited to watch the footage before I commented. The state troopers first off put a lot of people’s lives in jeopardy when they continued the car chase during rush hour. The suspect did not kill anyone when he stole the car and odds of him being caught down the road where very good because Bridgeport, New Haven and West Haven knew who he was and probably would of been identified later down the road. Once the police were able to trap the suspect they could of used non lethal force and or set up a barrier to coax the suspect out. The police officer unloaded his gun on a person who had a knife and had his window up. This is not good and the trooper failed at his job to calm himself down after a 20 minute car chase and think rationally on how to take the suspect away alive. Police where not in danger and had full line of sight in the car with back up. There needs to be another way for police to subdue a suspect in cases like this.
posted by: 1644 on January 18, 2020 6:22pm
narcan: Connecticut, not US law would apply here. I don’t see any justification for the killing. The suspect is armed only with a knife and is unable to exit the car due to the door being pinned in. Under teh circumstances, there was no imminent threat to the Trooper or anyone else. Nonetheless, the Trooper opens fire. Of course, in the Hamden killing, Witherspoon did follow the officer’s orders. Nonetheless, two officers opened fire on him and his passengers. Following an police officer’s instructions doesn’t offer members of the public protection from trigger-happy police. Police are a lethal threat not only to fleeing felons such as in this case, but to wholly innocent persons such as Philando Castile, Justine Damond, and Andrew Finch.
posted by: Samuel T. Ross-Lee on January 18, 2020 6:45pm
The video here shows that neither the cops nor anyone else were in danger at the time of the shooting. Those who have commented positively here about this young man’s shooting have not, and cannot, mention a crime he’d committed that is subject to the Death Penalty or a Cop’s lawful shooting.
posted by: Fitzy14 on January 18, 2020 7:28pm
The suspect had a knife and was trying to get out of the car with it. The Trooper had reason to fear for his life.
posted by: JohnDVelleca on January 18, 2020 7:43pm
Connor, Harris, Garner are all case law. Case law is used to close the gaps between certain situations and statutory law. The determinations of case law are not necessary here because Connecticut Statutory law covers this incident and the actions of the Trooper. See below:
CT 53a-22(c)(2)
“c) A peace officer, special policeman appointed under section 29-18b, motor vehicle inspector designated under section 14-8 and certified pursuant to section 7-294d or authorized official of the Department of Correction or the Board of Pardons and Paroles is justified in using deadly physical force upon another person for the purposes specified in subsection (b) of this section only when he or she reasonably believes such to be necessary to: (1) Defend himself or herself or a third person from the use or imminent use of deadly physical force; or (2) effect an arrest or prevent the escape from custody of a person whom he or she reasonably believes has committed or attempted to commit a felony which involved the infliction or threatened infliction of serious physical injury and if, where feasible, he or she has given warning of his or her intent to use deadly physical force.”
It appears that the Trooper was attempting to arrest, as well as prevent the escape, of a person who he reasonably believed committed a carjacking (i.e. a felony involving the threatened infliction of serious physical injury). The suspects mental illness, race and criminal history seem to be irrelevant given the details and facts of the incident.
posted by: NHTeacherPE on January 18, 2020 9:55pm
@Fitzy14 his driver side was blocked so how would the suspect attack the officer when the trooper was posted up on the driver side. There was no reason to unload your clip on this young man. No way the cop was in any harm unless the suspect made it out of the vehicle and threw the knife at the trooper or attacked him. I’m sorry but non-lethal force should of been used in this instance which includes talking down the suspect.
posted by: NHTeacherPE on January 18, 2020 10:06pm
The video of the cops on the other side smashed the window in and someone asked for a taser. The suspect wasn’t moving until he tried to grab the knife. The cops had full view of what was coming at them. A suspect that was trapped in a car with a knife. Come on now no way lethal force was needed in this case. The cops are trained to be smarter than this. They go through every training scenario needed in order to make good choices in high stressful situations. The suspect would not be able to attack an officer with a knife unless he exited the car. Once the suspect got out of the car and did not comply I would of used the taser to subdue.
posted by: 1644 on January 18, 2020 10:18pm
NHTeacherPE: Precisely. The Trooper had no reason to fear for his life: the suspect presented no threat because he was trapped in his car. As far as his escape, his car was blocked in and he was blocked into his car. He was not going anywhere.
posted by: NHTeacherPE on January 18, 2020 10:24pm
@1644 watch the new video of the passenger side. The troopers where breaking the glass and you could hear someone say get the taser on one of the videos. I don’t condone what the young man did but he deserved his day in court and not a morgue.
posted by: 1644 on January 18, 2020 11:24pm
NHTeacherPE: Yes, I heard that. The last video, from the driver’s side parked cruiser dash cam shows the killer typing his taser. It may have been his voice. While UK police deal with lots of knife-wielding crazy people without firearms, US police are taught to treat knives like firearms and kill anyone with a knife, Tasers seem to be reserved for compliance, such as when Branford police tasered a mentally retarded man to death when he would not get out of a car. Or when New Haven officers tasered a man for not showing them an identification card.
posted by: CityYankee on January 19, 2020 7:58am
NHPETeacher—You must watch a lot of police crime shows on TV for you to know exactly what you would do in a situation. People can only be trained. NO ONE knows what they would do in reality. You talk tough about subjects you know nothing about— law and being a law officer. The review will take place
posted by: NHTeacherPE on January 19, 2020 10:36am
How am I talking tough the video shows everything plain as day. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see this situation should of ended before it began and it began with a high speed car chase at rush hour when the chase was called off. I don’t watch crime dramas mainly sports so how do you know me. Maybe I have friends who are cops around the state and asked questions. So keyboard hero please watch what you say when you don’t even know who I am. The video shows a lot and honestly it doesn’t look very good for the trooper who unloaded his gun. I understand the going conversation will be I though he had a gun and the trooper feared for his life but can you explain why on the highway at rush hour the chase continued. That could of been very bad if an innocent bystander, trooper or the suspect were killed in a car chase that was called off. Keyboard hero out !!!
posted by: 1644 on January 19, 2020 12:13pm
NHTeacherPE: While I agree with you that the killing was unjustified, really just murder, the chase is another matter. It’s not clear why the Norwalk police broke off. If you listen to the dispatcher conversations, Norwalk PD is encouraging the State Police to find the guy because he is not just a car thief, he is a robber. There’s also a 911 call from someone on the highway saying the victim was driving 100 mph on the median clipping cars as he drove, even though he was not being pursued He was a danger to others. The dashboard cameras show safe driving by the troopers, in spite of other idiot drivers who weren’t clearing a path for them, and sometimes changing lanes towards them.
posted by: Eric B. Smith on January 19, 2020 1:47pm
Everyone should read the NH Register article about the shooting. The link is in the NHI story above. It adds some important details, primarily why the State Police continued the chase and that the driver had been tased, but it had no effect. With that said, it’s still hard to justify shooting a contained suspect multiple times at close range. He wasn’t going anywhere. Without seeing video of what’s happening on the passenger’s side, maybe other methods to gain compliance could have been attempted. Even IF the decision to shoot was justified, the goal is to stop the threat. Firing as many rounds as the officer did goes well beyond that goal. How about firing once, maybe twice, and then assessing the situation?
posted by: George Polk on January 19, 2020 2:59pm
Face it. If you are a police officer or state trooper in Connecticut you might as well take the first bullet or knife blade before commencing an arrest. Perhaps you’ll get lucky the vest will protect you or better yet one of our states “victims” will miss.
posted by: CityYankee on January 19, 2020 3:13pm
Thanks, armchair cops, for all your wisdom on “what I would do”... duly filed under BS coming from out of your b^&*s
posted by: NHTeacherPE on January 19, 2020 5:10pm
Why are you so mad City. I’m sitting on my couch watching football and enjoying life. It’s obvious that a few commenters are directly in line with law enforcement and I fully appreciate the job the police do but in my opinion I feel this young man was gunned down and didn’t deserve to be. You have the right to your opinion and I respect it but to lash out at me with your keyboard rhetoric is not very professional.
posted by: CityYankee on January 19, 2020 6:28pm
Dear NHPE— your armchair/ Monday Morning/ quarterbacking is knee jerk reaction. Let the professionals investigate the matter without the inflammatory comments from those of us who are not of the profession; (including myself)
posted by: missthenighthawks on January 19, 2020 10:09pm
The sole question should be whether the use of deadly force was necessary at that point in time. There was nothing wrong with the lead up to that. The Norwalk police called off the chase because the only thing the dispatcher told officers was that it was a stolen car (strictly a property crime). Then a call from a driver on I-95 came in saying someone (not being chased) was driving 100 mph and clipping cars. That caused Troopers to start rolling. Then Norwalk told the Troopers that the person was just involved in a carjacking with a deadly weapon and thus, a felon. That justifies car chases even in most towns that limit the use of chases. Dangerous criminals are not given a free pass by driving recklessly away. That brings us to what happened after the stop.
posted by: The don of the elm on January 20, 2020 12:04am
Yes here we go again….HE WAS A GOOD KID HE WAS A BASKETBALL PLAYER HE WAS BLAH BLAH BLAH ...LISTEN TO THE SCANNERS ALL THESE GOOD KIDS STEALING CARS NIGHTLY DAILY MORNINGS DONT CARE
posted by: 1644 on January 20, 2020 8:57am
Whether was a thug or an athlete, or both, is irrelevant. Yes. community activists try to sanctify criminals, while police routinely try to smear them with a release of past records, in the hope that the public will figure he deserved to die anyway. St. Anthony’s attempted smear of Philando Castile was the most pathetic: his record included no crimes against persons or property, just administrative driving violations like no insurance.
I often appreciate your perspective, born from your career in law-enforcement, but your analyis here doesn’t pass the most basic common sense test.
If the only way that group of troopers could prevent the escape of this suspect at that moment was to shoot him dead we need some new state troopers.
posted by: JohnDVelleca on January 20, 2020 4:30pm
@William Kurtz
Thank you for the kind words sir. I’m merely squaring the statute with what I’m seeing on the video and speculating what the Trooper’s reasoning may be. Section 2 of that statute is often overlooked. I have not formed an opinion on this incident yet simply because I think there are many more details to consider, many of which we will not know until the investigation is over. The video is traumatic and disturbing, but every video where a person is killed is traumatic and disturbing. A few years ago, during an interview with Paul Bass, I said that the most challenging thing a current police chief will have to do is reconcile disturbing, yet legal, police action with public perception. I don’t know if this shooting will be deemed justifiable, but I do know the video will still be uncomfortable to watch. Godspeed to everyone involved, including our Troopers. None of us look forward to, or enjoy, having to use deadly force.
It appears that the driver’s side door was pinned shut by one of the officer’s vehicles. How exactly did the officer expect the driver to comply with his command to “get out of the car”? Did the officer who opened fire know the driver was carrying a knife? If he did, why would he open fire when there is a metal door and glass separating the driver holding the knife from the officer? Also, why wouldn’t he wait for his colleague to try the taser once the glass was broken on the passenger side? If the officer did not know what was in the driver’s hand, or believed it to be a gun, was he justified in opening fire when the driver began to raise that object towards the officer?
Is there any evidence that the officer was aware of what was in the driver’s hand before he opened fire? Did any of the 911 calls mention a knife? Was that information communicated to the officer by dispatch personnel or a fellow officer? Could the officer clearly see that the driver had a knife before he chose to open fire? This incident will likely hinge on whether anyone can prove that the officer who opened fired knew the driver was holding a knife before he opened fire. Really tragic situation.
I understand the wording of the statute. My point is that it seems very unreasonable to think that shooting this man dead was ‘necessary’ to prevent his escape or to arrest him. He was pinned in his car.
Can you comment on whether it was appropriate to have four police officers surrounding him, more or less seeming to be pointing their guns at each other? What would have happened if that crowd on the passenger’s side of the car had started shooting?
With Mr. Solemane trapped in his car, wouldn’t it been a more prudent tactical choice for the officers to maintain some distance and give him an opportunity? The reporting seems to suggest they knew—or should have known—that he was mentally ill and armed only with a knife.
posted by: 1644 on January 21, 2020 10:13am
New Haven Urbanism: Watch the videos and listen to the 911 calls and dispatcher traffic. The primary reason the victim was being chased was that he had used a knife to threaten people at a Norwalk AT&T store and rob them of a car. This information was conveyed to all the officers. So, yes, the victim had a knife, and all the officers knew it. Nonetheless, given that he was still trapped in the car, he wasn’t in a position to harm anyone but himself. Watch the video at about 4-46 minutes. The first trooper pins the driver side door closed with his cruiser, then shouts, “Get out of the car! Get out of the car!” He goes to the passenger side, while Trooper North arrives and positions himself on the driver’s side and aims his pistol at the victim. A West Haven officer breaks the passenger side window with his baton after about a half dozen swings. The first Trooper switches from his firearm to taser, possibly firing through the broken passenger window. The victim leans forward, reaches to the passenger seat, possibly picking something up off the passenger seat, possibly the knife. He attempts to open the blocked driver’s side door and is shot.
Thanks for the information. Looks like the officer had good evidence that the driver was holding a knife, was pinned inside the car, and did not impose an imminent threat to the officer. From my armchair, it looks like the officer’s use of deadly force will be difficult to justify. Awful situation.
posted by: JohnDVelleca on January 21, 2020 1:54pm
@ William Kurtz
Like I previously stated, I’m withholding judgement right now because I have some of my own questions. Maybe through the media reporting they’ll be answered, maybe not. As far as the crossfire issue you bring up, I can tell you definitively that the positioning of the Troopers is not the “textbook” procedure for conducting a felony stop, but from experience I can also tell you that these situations rarely unfold in a “textbook” manner. The Troopers probably ended up in those positions simply because the chase ended abruptly and that happened to be where they were at the time. And to answer your question, if they all started firing it would have been the proverbial “shit-show.” To your point, we are trained that “time and distance” are an officers best friend in these scenarios, so your assessment is correct. However, we also train that in situations like this that we KNOW the subject has a knife, but we DON’T KNOW whether or not he has a gun as well. So the point you make there is debatable. Also, once the police are in that deep and it becomes a deadly force situation, that decision usually doesn’t hinge on whether the subject is mentally ill or not.
Thanks again, for sharing your insight, clarifying your thinking, and challenging and extending my own.
posted by: Sabrina-in-NewHaven on January 23, 2020 1:27am
It’s so easy to be callous and dismissive when these things happen. When you think this only happens to only certain people, right. You grew up hearing the same lies at the dinner table as well as the news. Somehow black bodies are dispensable. Organizations have been tracking deaths at the hands of the police, and have proven that black men are killed at a disproportional rate, in some years it’s Native Americans and in others, it is Hispanic bodies. But here you are flapping your gums.
I blame your fathers and grandfathers for making you so completely ignorant. You are the new Jim Crow with your ugly language. It must be hard to be so completely boring. There are no nuances in the lives of people who don’t live their lives in reality. They revel in stereotypes. If you have something to say attach a name to it and stop being a coward.
State police shot to death a 19-year-old Fair Havener who was schizophrenic, was a second-year student at Gateway Community College, and loved playing basketball and lacrosse.
Saeed and Mohammad’s description of Mubarak rang true with a public Facebook post made Thursday by one of Mubarak’s former teachers at Notre Dame High School, Jessica Mazal.
Saeed Soulemane said that he spoke with the New Haven police earlier this week about his brother. A New Haven police officer spoke on the phone with Mubarak, a day before his brother state troopers shot and killed him.
Saeed said the officer came back to the house, promised to put Mubarak’s name and info into a missing persons report, and asked Saeed to stay calm and to try to cool down his brother when he found his way home.
The Rev. Boise Kimber and the fellow pastors who organized the press conference Friday called on the U.S. Attorney’s Office to investigate the shooting. This shouldn’t be left to the state to investigate, Kimber said, because that would mean that one state agency would be investigating another.