The state of Connecticut is paying an undisclosed amount of money to settle a lawsuit filed by the family of a man killed by a state trooper.
The state attorney general's office represented State Trooper Brian North and the other troopers in the lawsuit from the family of Mubarak Soulemane, the man who was killed.
The attorney general's office said "We have reached an agreement in principle with the Estate of Mr. Soulemane to resolve the claims against the state and its employees. It would not be appropriate to comment further until we have a complete and final agreement that has been signed and approved by all necessary parties and the courts."
The incident took place in January of 2020.
Following a police chase, 19-year-old Mubarak Soulemane was shot while holding a knife inside a car with the windows rolled up. The car had been boxed in by police cruisers in West Haven, and police were breaking one of the car's windows to take him into custody.
Soulemane was Black. The state trooper who shot him is white.
Attorney Mark Arons represents Soulemane's family. Arons confirmed that a settlement was reached with the state and several troopers.
"I don't think if it was a white person in the same situation, that that person would have been shot. At least not unless he or she displayed a gun or something that could harm people in the context of the doors being closed and the windows being up," Arons said. "Remember a knife inside a closed environment isn't going to hurt anybody except the victim."
The state and the troopers named in the lawsuit do not admit to any wrongdoing in the settlement.
Part of the lawsuit against the city of West Haven is still pending. Some of the police involved in the incident were officers from West Haven.
"Because of this lawsuit, more municipalities, including West Haven, are requiring body and dashcam. Already, this has had a big impact," Arons said. "With video evidence now, it does make it easier for victims to get justice."
The state trooper who opened fire and killed Soulemane returned to his job in September. Brian North was recently given a promotion to sergeant.
The Connecticut State Police said North has returned to full duty. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant on September 5, 2024 and is currently assigned to the Emergency Services Unit.
Connecticut State Police Union Executive Director Andrew Matthews said the union does not make public comments regarding civil litigation settlements involving the State of Connecticut.
The union represents state troopers, including North, who were named as defendants in the lawsuit. Matthews assisted with North's defense at his trial.
North had faced criminal charges brought by the state inspector general's office. Earlier this year, jurors cleared him on all of the charges against him.
North's defense lawyer argued that the trooper made a split-second decision in a dangerous situation.
At trial, North testified that he opened fire because he thought Soulemane might stab police officers on the other side of the car.
North said he could see Soulemane turning towards those other officers while holding a knife, but he could not see if those police were close enough to be stabbed.
The chase involving Soulemane began after he showed a knife at a cell phone store in Norwalk.
At North's trial, his relatives testified the Soulemane suffered from mental health problems in the days before his death.
