Connecticut police officers who shot a man to death last year may not have been justified and their tactics were flawed, but there wasn't enough evidence to bring criminal charges, the state's inspector general said in a report released Monday.
Three Bridgeport officers opened fire on Jonathan Bell in Ansonia, Connecticut, on Feb. 4, 2024, after a high-speed car chase that ended when Bell crashed into a house. The officers, who were told by a confidential informant that Bell had a gun, said Bell ignored their commands and made a sudden movement that made them believe he was reaching for a weapon — forcing them to defend themselves.
Bell turned out to be unarmed, the report says. Police said they found pellet guns that looked like real firearms in the car, as well as knives, but none of them was within reach of Bell at the time, the report says.
Inspector General Robert Devlin concluded that officers should have ended the chase because it was too dangerous, they failed to take steps to de-escalate the situation after the crash and their decision to open fire when Bell made the sudden movement was questionable.
"The evidence does not, however, meet the legal standard to prove an unjustified shooting," Devlin wrote. But he added, “There should, however, be consequences to the litany of substandard police work documented in this report. In this regard, I have confidence that the command staff of the Bridgeport Police Department and its Internal Affairs Division will take appropriate action.”
A Bridgeport police spokesperson said Monday that Chief Roderick Porter and other department officials were reviewing Devlin's report.
“The Bridgeport Police Department continues to educate and provide training to our officers,” spokesperson Tiadora Josef said in an email. “We would like to send our condolences to the family and friends of Jonathan Mark Lewis Bell.”
