Officer 'Justifiably Used Deadly Force' In Defense: Inspector General

NEW HAVEN, CT — The state Office of the Inspector General has ruled that New Haven police officer Chad Curry justifiably used deadly force to defend himself in the shooting of Jose Claudio in October 2022.

The just-released report found that Curry "came under immediate lethal threat when Jose Claudio suddenly and unexpectedly opened fire on him," Inspector General Robert J. Devlin, Jr. wrote in the 26-page report.

"Officer Curry used deadly force in order to defend himself from the actual use of deadly force against him," Devlin concluded. "Claudio was clearly armed with a deadly weapon, there was no opportunity to engage in deescalation measures, and Officer Curry did nothing to precipitate the confrontation."

Claudio, 36, of New Haven, was charged with first-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, assault on a public safety officer, criminal possession of a firearm, among other charges when he was arrested a few days after the incident.

The 1:30 a.m. shooting occurred near the intersection of Chapel Street and Blatchley Avenue in the Fair Haven neighborhood. Curry was in the area and heard the crash, police said, and he responded. As Curry arrived, the driver of the vehicle, who was running from the crash scene, opened fire and shot at Curry.

Here's the OIG's account:

"In summary, the investigation establishes that on October 7, 2022, at approximately 1:30 a.m., New Haven Police Officer Chad Curry heard the sound of what he believed was a car crash and responded to the area of Chapel Street and Blatchley Avenue. He observed that a car had struck a utility pole in front of 157 Chapel Street. Officer Curry saw a male, later identified as Jose Claudio, wearing an orange sweatshirt, going in and out of the damaged car. He also saw a woman near the vehicle walking away. When Claudio saw Officer Curry, he changed direction and headed west on Chapel Street. Officer Curry turned his patrol vehicle around and followed.

Near the intersection of Chapel Street and Blatchley Avenue, Claudio displayed a handgun and fired multiple shots toward Officer Curry striking the windshield of his patrol vehicle.

Officer Curry exited his patrol vehicle and returned fire. Claudio ran across the intersection and took cover behind a van. He continued firing at Officer Curry who was now in the middle of the intersection. When Officer Curry realized that he was wounded by returned gunfire, he returned to his patrol vehicle for cover. Claudio then ran north on Blatchley Avenue firing more shots in Officer Curry’s direction."

Read the full report here:

Office of the Inspector Gen... by Ellyn Santiago