Bridgeport Police Shooting: Questions Emerge In Teen's Death With New Video

BRIDGEPORT, CT — An unconfirmed video that appears to show 15-year-old Jayson Negron laying face-down on the pavement after being shot by a rookie city police officer last Tuesday has been obtained by state police, according to multiple media reports including the Connecticut Post. Authorities confirmed Sunday that they had seen the video, which was posted by Giovanni Rivera of Bridgeport who claimed to be Negron's cousin.

The shaky video lasting one minute appears to show the position of Negron's head shift from one side to another. Bystanders can be heard in the background and an officer bending down to touch Negron's body.

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Rivera told the Hartford Courant that his family had originally been told that he was shot in the head. The state Chief Medical Examiner's report indicated Negron, who was a student at Bunnell High School in Stratford, died from gunshot wounds to the torso. Bridgeport Police Chief A.J. Perez confirmed to the Connecticut Post that he initially informed Negron's family that he was shot in the head, but admitted later that he had been mistaken.

It is not yet clear whether the video is being used in the investigation. Bridgeport officials did not comment on the video Sunday, according to the Connecticut Post's report. Negron was shot by patrolman James Boulay, who had been on the force for one year and has been placed on administrative leave during the investigation.

David McGuire, The executive director of the ACLU of Connecticut, issued a statement following the release of the video and called for accountability from Bridgeport police.

"The callous disregard that Bridgeport police officers showed for Jayson Negron during his last moments of life is unacceptable," read McGuire's statement. "Their behavior was outside the realms of human decency and democracy."

State police say that officers tried to stop a stolen vehicle on Park Avenue at around 5 p.m. Tuesday and Negron, the driver, sped off in the wrong direction on Fairfield Avenue and hitting several vehicles along Fairfield Avenue.

Once Negron stopped and officers approached, the vehicle reversed and collided with a Bridgeport officer, State Police allege. Police say a second officer fired one round, striking both the driver and the passenger who was identified as Julian Fyffe, 21, of Bridgeport. Fyffe suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder and is expected to survive.

Perez said that an officer was about to be, "sucked under the car" when shots were fired.

Fyffe gave a different account to the Connecticut Post and alleged that an officer grabbed Negron while the car door was open, Negron's foot was on the gas and the car began to reverse. Officers jumped out of the way and then the shot went off, he said.

Hundreds gathered on Park and Fairfield Avenues Wednesday for a vigil and rally at the site of the shooting, where citizens paid tribute to Negron. Two dozen blue balloons were released into the air, with Perez and Ganim on hand in the crowds. By most accounts, the gathering was peaceful.

Negron's body had been uncovered on the street for about six hours after the shooting, which police chief A.J. Perez said was done for evidence-collecting purposes. However, both community leaders and Mayor Joe Ganim voiced displeasure of the way the body was handled.

"It bothers me to have a deceased young person have to remain for six or seven hours," Ganim said. "It is unacceptable from a community perspective."

The investigation is being conducted by the state's attorney's office, and is expected to take several months.

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