Tensions were high as former Hartford Police Department officer Joseph Magnano faced a judge on Friday for the first time in the fatal shooting of Steven “Stevie” Jones in February.
The arraignment hearing in Hartford Superior Court lasted no more than two minutes, during which Connecticut Inspector General Eliot Prescott asked that the case be reviewed for the Part A docket — where the most serious matters are handled. Prescott did not ask to review Magnano’s $50,000 bond or for any special conditions of release.
The case was continued to July 21 without a plea.
Wearing a blue suit and paisley tie while flanked by a large showing of supporters, Magnano did not speak during the brief hearing. His supporters included nearly a dozen uniformed officers in the courthouse and more than 50 officers in uniform and plain clothes who gathered outside.
Former Hartford police officer Joseph Magnano, left, leaves Hartford Superior Court with his attorney, Patrick Tomasiewicz, right, after his arraignment on Friday, June 5, 2026. Magnano is charged with first-degree manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Steven “Stevie” Jones in February 2026. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant)
Magnano could be seen in tears as he embraced supporters after the hearing. Neither Magnano nor his attorney, Patrick Tomasiewicz, addressed the media following the proceedings.
Nationally recognized civil right attorney Ben Crump, who represents the Jones family, and Jones’ sister, who made the 911 call that prompted a police response the day of the shooting, were not at the hearing.
Outside the courthouse, tempers flared between supporters of Magnano and his critics.
Critics of Magnano were pressed with questions about the mental health crisis the country is facing and whether that burden should fall on the city’s leadership or its police force. They were also questioned about Magnano’s due process rights, as his critics have often pointed to the video of the shooting as proof that it was not justified when he gunned down Jones.
“Today is about accountability, truth and the value of Stevie Jones and other humans in our city,” Corrie Betts, president of the Greater Hartford branch of the NAACP, said.
“The video speaks for itself,” Betts said. “This is why Arunan (Arulampalam) did what he did … and the IG brought charges. This was a mental health crisis, and a mental health crisis should never end in a funeral. We are not here to try this court case. We are here to make sure that accountability and transparency is done.”
Members of the Hartford Police Department gather outside Hartford Superior Court to support former Hartford police officer Joseph Magnanom during his arraignment on Friday, June 5, 2026. Magnano is charged with first-degree manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Steven “Stevie” Jones in February 2026. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant)
When pressed about why Magnano did not use OC spray and questioned about how police handle mental health calls, Hartford Police Union President James Rutkauski said the presence of an individual struggling with mental health only makes a situation more unpredictable and potentially more volatile. He also contends that police are not trained to use pepper spray when someone is armed with a knife or another deadly weapon.
“That is a ridiculous statement to say you’re gonna use OC spray on a lethal threat,” Rutkauski said.
Rutkauski was also hit with questions about Magnano being at the scene for less than 35 seconds before he fired nine shots at Jones and asked why the other officers at the scene never felt compelled to fire their weapons.
“If someone’s walking at you with a knife, how many seconds do you need to make a decision?” Rutkauski asked.
“I can’t speak to their mindset, but those officers needlessly put themselves at risk,” he added.
Corrie Betts, president of the Greater Hartford Branch NAACP, speaks to reporters after the arraignment of former Hartford police officer Joseph Magnano at Hartford Superior Court on Friday, June 5, 2026. Magnanom is charged with first-degree manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Steven “Stevie” Jones in February 2026. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant)
Jones was gunned down outside a residence on Blue Hills Avenue on Feb. 27 after his sister phoned authorities and said he was experiencing a mental health crisis. She told dispatchers he had cut himself and was still armed with a knife.
Three officers responded to the scene before Magnano and were able to avoid Jones’ advances toward them as he held a knife by his side, body camera footage shows. They called out for him to drop the blade numerous times. The first officer to arrive tried multiple times to use a taser but it was not effective in disarming Jones, the footage shows.
With their guns drawn, the three officers at one point were able to surround Jones, who had a small snowbank to his back as began swaying back and forth in the street. He appeared to be calming down and had temporarily abandoned his attempts to move toward police.
According to the warrant affidavit used to support a first-degree manslaughter charge against Magnano, Prescott said the then-officer was not dispatched to the scene but took it upon himself to respond, hitting speeds of more than 80 mph to get there. Once he arrived, Magnano got within about 17 feet of Jones instead of keeping more distance and yelled for Jones to drop the knife, Prescott wrote in the warrant affidavit.
The other three officers were talking calmly to Jones in an effort to get him to drop the blade, Prescott noted. All three officers were all at the scene longer than Magnano and did not fire their guns at him, according to Prescott.
Sgt. James Rutauski, president of the Hartford Police Union, speaks to reporters after the arraignment of former Hartford police officer Joseph Magnano at Hartford Superior Court on Friday, June 5, 2026. Magnano is charged with first-degree manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Steven “Stevie” Jones in February 2026. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant)
Prescott said Magnano had OC spray, but he did not attempt to use it. He also said Magnano, who was backing away from Jones’ advances and screaming for him to drop the knife, did not seek cover using two police cruisers that were behind him as he backed up into an intersection.
In the warrant affidavit, Prescott said he believes Jones did not pose an imminent risk to any bystanders in the area. He also alleges that Magnano had “ample” space to keep backing up and that at least four of the shots he fired came after Jones had fallen to the ground.
Rutkauski, who has maintained from the start that he believes the shooting was justified, said Friday that he believes the warrant affidavit is “factually inaccurate, intentionally deceptive, and it lacks critical exculpatory facts.” He described the document as an “abomination” and called for an ethics or judicial committee to review it.
“Their coordinated actions, and I mean coordinated actions, are an attack on the foundation of the justice system and on the constitution of everybody’s right,” Rutkauski said of Prescott and investigators within his office.
Hartford officer charged with manslaughter in fatal shooting of man during mental health crisis
Rutkauski accused state officials of trying to redefine the standard Connecticut uses to determine if deadly force is objectively reasonable, “for whatever reason, I don’t know,” he said. He also alleges that Prescott ignored federal case law that was cited in Magnano’s investigation report involving use of force incidents and what is objectively reasonable.
“It’s in our policy and procedure for use of force,” Rutkauski said. “You’re telling me it doesn’t apply? That’s ridiculous.”
Rutkauski refused to go into detail about what he believes was inaccurate in the warrant affidavit and would only speak cryptically when asked to explain, questioning why the manslaughter charge against Magnano was not brought under the statute dealing with homicides involving firearms.
“That is a question you need to ask yourself and begin to investigate, and you will begin to see the factual inaccuracies of the warrant and the narrative they are trying to sell,” he said.
Jones died days after the shooting — which occurred a little over a week after 53-year-old Everard Walker, another Black man experiencing a mental health crisis, was shot and killed by a Hartford police officer at his Capitol Avenue apartment.
Both shootings reignited calls for police accountability and sparked debate about law enforcement’s role in how mental health calls are handled. About a month after the shooting of Jones, Magnano was fired by Arulampalam, who criticized his handling of the call. The shooting of Walker remains under investigation by Prescott’s office.
Following an unusually expeditious investigation, Prescott released his findings and announced he would be prosecuting Magnano.
Rutkauski clarified Friday that the police union is not paying for Magnano’s legal defense.