Hartford Shooting: Officer Who Shot Man With Mental Health Crisis Faces Charges After 3 Months

A former Hartford Police officer is facing murder charges after he killed a man experiencing a mental health crisis.

The incident happened back on February 27, when authorities were called in to report an acute mental health crisis at an apartment. The officer, incidentally, was not directly dispatched to the scene but arrived on his own after hearing radio traffic.

The victim, who was holding a knife in his hand, was rushed to the hospital after cops tased him, and one of the officers even fired multiple rounds. However, the individual succumbed to the injuries at the hospital on March 2. Nearly three months into the investigation, the accused police officer has now been charged.

Joseph Magnano, 23, turned himself in following the incident and was charged with first-degree manslaughter. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors allege that Magnano unlawfully killed Steven Jones while Jones was experiencing a mental health crisis.

Body camera footage from the scene reportedly showed at least three officers attempting to de-escalate the situation after arriving at the apartment. According to investigators, officers repeatedly ordered Jones to drop the knife and told him they did not want to shoot him. Officers also attempted to subdue him with a Taser, but those efforts were unsuccessful.

The Connecticut Office of the Inspector General later concluded that Magnano’s use of deadly force was not justified. Investigators said Magnano fired a total of nine shots after Jones allegedly began walking toward officers while holding a knife.

Soon after the incident, Magnano was placed on a probationary leave as his conduct at the scene of the crime was thoroughly examined. After the authorities found him guilty, it was Mayor Arunan Arulampalam who fired the tainted officer from service by the end of April.

The mayor claimed that the officer was the one to re-escalate the situation, which could have otherwise been prevented. He had remarked, “Officer Magnano came in, sirens blazing, came in and from the video appears to have re-escalated the situation and made it worse and that led to a point of tension.”

On the other hand, the Hartford Police Union has upheld the perspective that the officer’s shooting of the mental health victim was justified. They alleged that the person refused to drop the knife despite being repeatedly asked by the other presiding officers on the scene.

Investigators revealed that Officer Magnano was on the scene for just 34 seconds, during which he interacted with Jones for close to 26 seconds. He ultimately decided to use lethal force, unlike the other officers, since he feared for his life and the safety of the civilians behind him.

Defending Magnano’s actions, Hartford Police Union President stated, “If I’m in that situation, I expect every officer in the city of Hartford to come and back me up. Because I don’t want to be on an island left by myself. To say that he wasn’t dispatched, that he took the initiative to make sure that the community and his fellow officers were safe, nonsensical statement.”

Given the murder charges pressed against the accused officer, the Police Union alleged that arrests like these would make it harder to recruit fresh talent in the future. In the meantime, the mayor has assured assistance to the police chief to boost the morale of other officers.

The victim’s family issued a statement after the officer was charged. Their attorney stated “The charging of this officer is a necessary and meaningful step toward accountability for Stevie Jones and his family. Stevie was in the middle of a mental health crisis, and instead of receiving the care he needed, he was shot nine times.”