Bridgeport Cops Avoid Charges In Fatal Police Shooting: Report

BRIDGEPORT, CT — Bridgeport Police Officers Matthew Hoffman and Wilberto Rivera-Colon and Sgt. Christopher Robinson will not face charges in connection with the fatal 2024 shooting of Jonathan Mark Lewis Bell, according to a state investigation into the incident.

But Connecticut Inspector General Robert Devlin found problems with the way police handled the incident, including that officers should have broken off the chase with Bell before it ended in Ansonia, the Connecticut Post reported.

Devlin also said that after Bell crashed into a house in Ansonia, officers should have taken steps to de-escalate the situation, which they did not.

In a statement emailed to Patch, a spokesperson for the police department said officials are studying the inspector general's findings.

"The Bridgeport Police Department acknowledges the findings of the Inspector General’s report and is committed to thoroughly reviewing the identified issues," said Tiadora Josef, the city's director of Public Information. "The Bridgeport Police Department continues to educate and provide training to our officers. We would like to send our condolences to the family and friends of Jonathan Mark Lewis Bell."

Read the Connecticut Post story.