A Hartford police officer who shot and killed a black man suffering from a mental health crisis in February has been charged with first-degree manslaughter following a monthslong investigation by the Connecticut Inspector General's office.
The officer, Joseph Magnano, had been fired by the Hartford Police Department over the shooting of Steven Jones, a 55-year-old man who was seen wielding a knife in police body camera footage.
Inspector General Eliot Prescott concluded that Magnano failed to de-escalate the situation and did not make a reasonable attempt to use non-lethal force, according to an arrest warrant.
Prescott also said Jones 'did not pose an imminent threat to bystanders' and that Magnano had 'ample space' to back away from him.
Magnano, 23, was charged on Monday after he turned himself over the authorities. He was released the same day on a $50,000 bond.
Sgt. James Rutkauski, who is the president of the Hartford Police Union, blasted Magnano's arrest as a blow to morale, adding that the department is down 150 police officers.
'This is a nail in the coffin. I do not know how you're going to get police officers to come to the city now,' Rutkauski told WTNH-TV.
Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam, who fired Magnano on March 27, praised the inspector general for leading a swift investigation into the shooting. He believes this will go a long way toward restoring trust in the city's police force.
On February 27, Hartford Police Officer Joseph Magnano points his firearm at Steven Jones, 55, who was armed with a large knife. Moments later, Magnano fired nine shots into Jones
On Monday, Magnano was charged with first-degree manslaughter in connection to the shooting of Jones (pictured), who had a history of mental illness
On the morning of February 27, police were dispatched to Jones's apartment after his sister called 911 to report that he had cut himself with a large knife and that he was suicidal.
Photos taken by officers show a large blood stain on his front stoop from his self-inflicted wound.
Jones had a history of mental illness, and multiple officers arrived on the scene to find him brandishing the knife.
Before Magnano arrived, one of the officers deployed his Taser on Jones, but this failed to get him under control. For a time, he continued aggressively approaching the officers before standing in the middle of the street, largely motionless.
As the interaction continued, the three officers on the scene, as well as a crowd of bystanders, began repeatedly urging Jones to drop the knife. Residents were heard begging officers not to shoot Jones because he suffered from mental health issues.
At approximately 11:12am, Magnano arrived and quickly drew his weapon on Jones, who began to walk slowly toward him.
'Drop the knife! You're going to get shot! Drop the knife!' Magnano was heard saying on the body cam footage.
Seconds later, Magnano fired nine shots at Jones, who immediately collapsed to the pavement. The shots were fired 34 seconds after Magnano got to the scene in his police cruiser.
Jones was rushed to the hospital and died from his wounds on March 3, four days after he was shot. The medical examiner later ruled his death a homicide.
Officer Jackeline Torres, who was at the scene, said in her sworn statement that she asked Magnano when he got there if he had a Taser. According to Torres, he did not have one on him. Magnano confirmed this in his own sworn statement to authorities.
Magnano, seen with his weapon pointed at Jones as he walks toward him, claimed in his sworn statement that he ran out of room to back up and shot Jones to protect himself, his fellow officers and nearby civilians
Pictured: The knife Jones was holding that was recovered from his body after he was shot
Pictured: A blood stain on Jones's apartment stoop. Officers said he cut himself on the hand with the knife
Magnano claimed he positioned himself in front of a large group of civilians to protect them from Jones, who he believed had the 'intention to harm me, another officer or a nearby citizen'.
'As I was walking backward I was able to observe numerous civilians to my left which Jones was also coming close to,' he said in his interview with police. 'I had limited space behind me, which would prevent me from creating any more space between myself and Jones. I also knew the more I moved backward, the barrier I created between myself and the citizens would be removed.'
The inspector general came to a different conclusion, arguing that Magnano should have actively gotten the bystanders out of harm's way before resorting to shooting Jones.
'To the extent Magnano subjectively believed that Jones posed a risk of serious physical injuries to bystanders in the area, Magnano made no effort to move bystanders out of any perceived harm's way,' the inspector general said in the arrest affidavit.
'At the time Magnano discharged his firearm, Jones did not pose an imminent threat to bystanders because the bystanders were walking away from Jones and no longer in close proximity to him,' the inspector general continued.
If convicted, Magnano faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Rutkauski, the police union head, said Magnano was 'defending his fellow officers, the community, himself'.
Ben Crump, the civil rights attorney who is representing Jones's family, said Magnano being charged is a 'necessary and meaningful step toward accountability'.
'Stevie was in the middle of a mental health crisis, and instead of receiving the care he needed, he was shot nine times,' Crump said in a statement. 'This charge reflects what the family has known all along, that what happened to Stevie was not justified.'