Police Use Of Deadly Force West Haven, CT 09/19/2024
INTRODUCTION
On September 19, 2024, at approximately 4:58 p.m., Connecticut State Police Sergeant Colin Richter,1 New Haven Police Sergeant Francisco Sanchez,2 and New Haven Police Officer Michael Valente,3 all members of the Violent Crime Task Force (Task Force), fired their department-issued handguns, striking and killing Jebrell Conley. As required by statute,4 the Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigated this incident. The results of that investigation are summarized in this report. More specifically, on September 19, 2024, the Task Force learned that Jebrell Conley had an outstanding warrant for his arrest on federal robbery and firearm charges. The indictment arose out of a shooting and robbery incident in Hamden. At approximately 5:00 p.m., the Task Force received information that Conley was near Ella Grasso Boulevard driving a black Hyundai Tucson with New Jersey registration plate Y40- SND. Some members of the Task Force had prior knowledge of Conley from previous interactions with him. A license plate reader device indicated that the Hyundai Tucson was at or near the Splash Car Wash on 2 Boston Post Road, West Haven in an outdoor bay area where customers use vacuums to clean their cars. At the car wash, Task Force officers observed Conley standing outside of the Hyundai Tucson. The officers approached and attempted to block in the vehicle using their Task Force vehicles. Conley spotted the officers and entered the Hyundai Tucson. After officers approached the vehicle on foot to apprehend Conley, and while they were attempting to remove him from the vehicle, Conley fired one round that shattered its front driver side window. Three police officers, Sergeant Colin Richter, Sergeant Francisco Sanchez, and Officer Michael Valente fired their department-issued handguns at Conley. Multiple rounds struck Conley who fell out of the Hyundai Tucson onto the parking lot. Officers swiftly provided Conley medical aid. He was transported to Yale New Haven Hospital where he was pronounced deceased. Officers recovered a handgun, with a high-capacity magazine, from the area where Conley had fallen from the vehicle. The handgun had jammed after firing one round, thereby preventing Conley from firing additional rounds at the officers. After reviewing the facts revealed by my office’s investigation of this incident, I have determined that Sergeant Richter, Sergeant Sanchez and Officer Valente each honestly and sincerely believed that Jebrell Conley was attempting to kill or inflict serious physical harm on themselves and/or other officers at the scene. They also sincerely and honestly believed that it was necessary to use deadly physical force to protect themselves and their fellow officers from serious physical injury or death. Under the totality of the circumstances, the officers’ beliefs were reasonable. Accordingly, their use of deadly physical force was legally justified.
Sergeant Richter is a white male, who, at the time of the incident, was forty-three years old and had been a State Trooper for fourteen years. He had no prior disciplinary history. Sergeant Sanchez is a Hispanic male, who, at the time of the incident, was forty-one years old and had been a New Haven Police Officer for twelve years. He previously had received a verbal warning for interfering with a citizen’s right to record. In 2019, Sanchez used deadly physical force in the course of his duties. After investigation, then New Haven State’s Attorney Patrick Griffin concluded that Sanchez’s use of deadly physical force was legally justified. Officer Valente is a white male, who, at the time of the incident, was forty years old and had been a New Haven Police Officer for eleven years. He had no prior disciplinary history. General Statutes §51-277a(a)(1) provides: “Whenever a peace officer, in the performance of such officer’s duties, uses physical force upon another person and such person dies as a result thereof or uses deadly force, as defined in section 53a-3, upon another person, the Division of Criminal Justice shall cause an investigation to be made and the Inspector General shall have the responsibility of determining whether the use of force by the peace officer was justifiable under section 53a-22.”
INVESTIGATION SCENE LOCATION 2 BOSTON
The scene was secured by the New Haven Police Department and subsequently processed by the State Police Central District Major Crime Squad (CDMCS). The scene is located outdoors at 2 Boston Post Road in West Haven, which is located on the south side of that road. The property is the home of the Splash Car Wash and consists of a building where cars are washed by a mechanical system. The building runs along the eastern portion of the property and is bordered by the West River. A Dunkin’ Donuts establishment borders the property to the west.
Central Vacuum Area Rear Lot Of Car Wash
The primary area of the scene was in and around the parking spaces in the central vacuum area, which is towards the southwest side of the property. The area contains two parallel rows of parking spaces on each side of the central vacuum system. The central vacuum system is accessed through a one-way lane that can be entered from the carwash bays and is not accessible directly from Boston Post Road. The carwash entry one way access runs parallel to the central vacuum access way. These access ways are separated by a small curb barrier. More specifically, the primary scene was the four southernmost parking spaces of the central vacuum area, near the rear of the property. A black Hyundai Tucson, with a New Jersey marker plate Y40-SND, was parked in the third southernmost parking space on the west side of the central vacuum area. A red Honda Civic was parked in the second southernmost space, on the passenger side of the black Hyundai Tucson.
A white unmarked police Ford Explorer was located to the rear of the Hyundai Tucson. The rear right bumper of the Hyundai Tucson was in contact with the front bumper of the Ford Explorer. An unmarked police silver Chevrolet Impala was parked to the rear of the driver side of the Hyundai Tucson, and on angle from the Ford Explorer. The Impala’s front and rear driver side doors were open. The trunk of the Impala was also open.
(FARO Overhead View)
IMAGES OF EVIDENCE MARKERS ON SCENE
Multiple expended shell casings were located, photographed, and collected from the pavement near the Hyundai Tucson, Ford Explorer, and Chevrolet Impala. Two “stop sticks” and a baseball hat were located under the Hyundai Tucson. Broken glass from the Hyundai Tucson’s shattered front driver side and passenger side windows was strewn around the vehicle. The Hyundai Tucson had damage from multiple bullet holes, including on the front windshield.
IMAGES FROM SCENE 09/19/2024
(Hyundai Tucson and unmarked police vehicles)
ADDITIONAL SCENE IMAGES SHOWS THE FRONT WINDSHIELD WHERE JEBRELL CONLEY WAS SITTING INSIDE AT THE TIME OF SHOOTING BEFORE FALLING TO GROUND OUTSIDE THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR.
49 EVIDENCE MARKERS SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE SCENE
The following diagram provides an overview
These are approximate locations of various items of evidence and the corresponding evidence markers. Most of the evidence markers related to expended shell casings and will be discussed in further detail in the section of this report relating to firearms evidence.
(Conley holding firearm)
Officer Valente then fired approximately ten rounds into the vehicle and at Conley. As he fired his weapon, he retreated a few steps backward towards the rear right bumper of the red Honda Accord. As he fired his weapon, Sergeant Richter can be viewed standing at the front of the Hyundai Tucson and firing his handgun towards the front window shield of the vehicle while moving towards his left until he arrives at the front passenger window of the vehicle. At this point, Valente had ceased discharging his weapon because Officer Richter was now positioned between Valente and Conley’s vehicle. Richter can be seen firing an additional few rounds through the front passenger window of the vehicle. Shortly thereafter, other officers approach the vehicle and the words “put him in cuffs” and “watch your crossfire” can be heard. Officer Valente then reports shots fired on his radio and removes the stop stick from the area in front of the vehicle.