HARTFORD, CT. (WFSB) – A Hartford community coalition is making demands of city officials following the fatal police shootings of two men last month, each of whom was experiencing a mental health crisis.
53-year-old Everard Walker and 55-year-old Steven Jones were shot and killed by Hartford police officers. The North Hartford Public Safety Coalition, made up of religious leaders, neighbors and business owners, outlined five demands in response.
The coalition’s first demand is the termination of the officers who discharged their firearms in each of the fatal shootings. The group surveyed more than 100 residents in the neighborhood.
“A clear response by 67% of the residents in this area said the officer should be terminated,” said Kelvin Lovejoy, North Hartford Public Safety Coalition.
The Office of the Inspector General is investigating the shootings per protocol and has not yet determined whether either was justified.
“The Hartford Police Department has the authority to review whether its own policies and standards were followed through,” said Tracy Johnson-Russell of St. Monica’s Episcopal Church.
Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam said the city’s options are limited while the state investigation is ongoing.
“As a city, we are not legally allowed to do anything until the state inspector general concludes their investigation,” he said.
The coalition is also asking the Inspector General to expedite its findings within the next six months.
“The Office of Inspector General is committed to conducting a thorough, comprehensive, and impartial investigation. As with all matters under its review, the Office will work diligently to gather all relevant facts and ensure the final report reflects a complete and accurate account of the events. The investigation will be completed as expeditiously as possible, consistent with the careful and methodical approach required for this work.”
A third demand calls for Police Chief James Rovella to hold a public community briefing within the next seven days.
“Hearing what is being worked on, what conversations are happening and what steps are being discussed would go a long, long way toward helping residents feel heard,” said Johnson-Russell.
The coalition’s final two demands ask the city to permanently fund its mental health crisis response systems and ensure the Police Accountability Review Board is fully activated.
“Hartford has been on the forefront of funding mental health systems in the city. In fact, we’re one of the few cities that has a mental health response team that goes to the scenes of incidents and often times responds ahead of the police,” added Arulampalam.
Hartford’s mental health response team did respond ahead of police in the first of the two recent officer-involved shootings.
The Police Accountability Review Board is purely advisory and does not hold the same authority as the already-activated Civilian Police Review Board.
Community reacts to recent police shootings in Hartford
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