VIDEO: Inspector General Releases Report On Officer-Involved Shooting

NEW HAVEN, CT — Saying the use of deadly force was justified in the officer-involved shooting death of Jebrell Conley at a West Haven car wash last Thursday, New Haven Chief of Police Karl Jacobson praised officers for "putting themselves between Conley and the public."

"We're lucky we're not burying officers," Jacobson said an hour after the Office of the Inspector General released its preliminary report in the shooting of the 36-year-old, who was being hunted on a warrant for a robbery and shooting.

A "civilian" at the car wash made a video of a portion of the incident, the OIG said.

According to the OIG, the New Haven Police Department Violent Crime Task Force learned that Conley, who they knew, had an outstanding warrant for his arrest on federal Hobbs Act robbery and related firearm charges.

US District Court Conley Ar... by Ellyn Santiago

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At around 5 p.m., the Task Force received information that Conley was in the area of Ella Grasso Boulevard driving a black Hyundai Tucson with New Jersey registration plate Y40-SND, the OIG related.

A license plate reader hit showed the car was at the Splash Car Wash, 2 Boston Post Road, in West Haven. When task force members got there, the OIG said, they found Conley outside the vehicle, in the area where customers use vacuums to clean their cars.

Officers then tried to block in the Hyundai Tucson using their vehicles, and when Conley spotted them, he got back into the Tucson and, as officers moved in to apprehend Conley, he "appeared to fire one round that shattered the Hyundai Tucson’s front driver side window," the OIG report reads.

Three Task Force officers fired at Conley: Connecticut State Police Sgt. Colin Richter, New Haven Police Sgt. Francisco Sanchez, and New Haven police Officer Michael Valente.

Conley was struck by several rounds, and fell out of the vehicle onto the ground, the report reads and noted that cops gave "Conley medical aid," before he was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital where he was later pronounced dead, the report from the OIG reads.

On Sept. 20, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the cause of Conley’s death to be "gunshot wounds of torso and upper right extremity." As of the date of this report, neither the death certificate nor toxicological report is available.

A handgun, with a high capacity magazine, was recovered by officers from the area where Conley had fallen from the vehicle, the report reads, noting also that, "initial inspection of the handgun suggests that it had jammed after firing one round."

All the task force officers were wearing body-worn cameras that were activated during their attempt to arrest Conley. Here are clips of what the IOG report states are relevant portions of officer body-worn camera:

NHPD Sergeant Francisco Sanchez’s body-worn camera recording:

NHPD Officer Michael Valente’s body-worn camera recording:

NHPD Officer Paul Vakos’ body-worn camera recording:

"We don't want to shoot, but officers had to do what they had to do:" Chief

In an early evening media briefing, Jacobson said that soon after the shooting death, there was chatter that members of the Grape Street Crips from New Jersey were threatening New Haven cops.

"We doubled up officers," he said as a precaution, but later learned from Conley's family who told him there would be no threats.

Jacobson called Conley's mother, to whom he offered condolences, and he spoke to his brother, who Jacobson said he knew well.

"I spoke to his mother and his brother. I told him he had a gun in his hand and fired first," Jacobson said, noting Conley's brother assured him there were "no messages to hurt officers."

"We don't want to do this. We don't want to shoot, but the officers had to do what they had to do," Jacobson said. Though he could not confirm that Conley fired first, he said, there were no shots fired until as Sgt. Sanchez "was trying to pull him from the car, then a shot was fired," and three of the 11 officers on the scene fired back, he said. "The three officers saw the threat. We do send condolences to the family, but we support our officers."

Jacobson said there will be an internal police investigation into the matter, and both Sanchez and Valente are on paid administrative leave pending the outcome. Jacobson said the officers will get the "mental health" counseling they need and then return to work. He said Sanchez is a 12-year, decorated veteran of the police department. Valente is an 11-year department veteran.

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker was also at the news briefing and noted that while he's not a cop nor an expert, he believes Conley fired at officers first.

"It appears to me the officers used appropriate force. It appears he fired first," Elicker said. "No officer wants this to happen, but these are unbelievably dangerous situations."

The Office of Inspector General, the Department of Emergency Services and Public
Protection, Connecticut State Police Central District Major Crime Squad, the New Haven Police
Department, and the New Haven Judicial District State’s Attorney’s Office are conducting the
investigation.