A man shot by Hartford police on Blue Hills Avenue on Friday died Tuesday of his injuries.
Steven “Stevie” Jones was 55 years old, according to the Connecticut Office of Inspector General.
Family members of Jones gathered outside Hartford’s St. Francis Hospital alongside representatives of the Hartford branch and Connecticut state conference of the NAACP.
“My brother is a good person,” said a woman who identified herself as Jones’ sister but declined to give her name. “He’s always there for everyone, and he was a good brother to me.”
Scot X. Esdaile, president of the Connecticut State Conference of the NAACP, said the family was seeking legal representation and justice for Jones.
“We are really, really, really upset about this particular situation,” Esdaile said. “We are going to organize, mobilize and galvanize individuals on the national stage, all across the state, and all across this particular city to make sure that justice is served.”
“Justice looks like the police officers being held accountable for killing this young man,” Esdaile said.
Esdaile said the state conference was consulting Tuesday evening with nationally known civil rights attorney Ben Crump about potentially representing the family.
Local response
Earlier Tuesday, the Greater Hartford branch of the NAACP weighed in on Jones’ shooting, the second police shooting of a Black man in acute mental distress in less than two weeks in the capital city.
“The community is in uproar,” said Corrie Betts, president of the Greater Hartford NAACP branch and criminal justice chair of the Connecticut State Conference of the NAACP. “You're talking about law enforcement that is here to protect and serve. They don't feel protected.”
Betts described himself as “very disheartened, disturbed, [and] angry” upon viewing body-worn camera footage of the Friday shooting of Jones, released Monday by the state Office of Inspector General.
“Let me tell you what I didn’t see – I didn’t see any deescalation from the shooting officer,” Betts said.
The shooting of Jones comes on the heels of the Feb. 19 fatal shooting of Everard Walker in his Capitol Avenue home in Hartford. Family members in that incident had called 211 to evaluate Walker’s mental health, but police responded and ultimately shot Walker.
Betts said the community does not feel safe calling for help in instances of mental health crises.
“They don't even want to call to get any assistance,” Betts said. “They're afraid that they're calling in a death wish for their family members.”
What the footage shows
The Connecticut Office of Inspector General has released body-worn and dashboard camera footage from the Friday shooting that eventually killed Jones.
Footage shows officers responding to a home on Blue Hills Avenue where the Inspector General says Jones was believed to be in the throes of a mental health crisis. Video from the body-worn camera of Officer Josue Charles shows Charles arrive first to the scene to discover Jones holding a knife.
“Drop the knife,” Charles directs Jones, who walks slowly toward the officer.
A woman is heard shouting, “No! That’s my brother!”
“I’m not going to shoot him,” Charles tells the woman. Video shows Charles attempt to use a Taser on James, but it appears ineffective.
Officer James Prignano then arrives on scene.
“My man, you’ve got to drop it,” Prignano tells James, who walks toward the officer with the knife. “We don’t want to shoot you. We don’t want to, bro.”
“We’re just going to get you help,” Prignano says. “We’re here to help you. Just drop it. Just drop it. We’re just going to get you to the hospital. We’re going to talk to somebody. Your family wants you to get help.”
Officer Jackeline Torres is next to arrive, commanding Jones to drop the knife.
“Honey, you’ve got to drop the knife,” Torres tells Jones. “Do we have another Taser? Do we have anyone else with a Taser?” Torres asks the assembled officers.
“Steve, you’re okay. We’re going to make sure you’re okay,” Prignano assures Jones. “Just drop the knife, we’re going to get you – we’re going to go talk to somebody, okay?”
Officer Joseph Magnano then arrives. He approaches with his gun pointed at Jones, commanding Jones to drop the knife.
Torres asks Magnano if he has a Taser, to which he replies, “No,” before continuing to command Jones to drop the knife.
“You’re going to get shot! Drop the knife!” Magnano says.
“Mag, Mag, Mag, Mag,” Prignano says, raising his hand toward Magnano in what appears to be a “pause” gesture.
Magnano continues pointing his gun at Jones as Jones walks toward Magnano, who repeatedly yells, “Drop the knife!”
“Magnano, Magnano,” Prignano says, again raising his hand toward Magnano.
“Mag, Mag, Mag,” Torres says.
“Last time! Drop the knife! Drop it!” Magnano yells as Jones continues to walk toward him.
Magnano then fires nine times at Jones, who collapses on the street. Magnano is then heard to shout an expletive twice and is seen placing his hands on his head.
The Inspector General said Monday that Jones remains in critical condition, and that the IG’s office and the Connecticut State Police Central District Major Crime Squad were jointly investigating the incident.
Betts, the Greater Hartford NAACP president, said he hopes for a thorough investigation.
“If the facts are the facts, and there was a crime committed, I would hope that the law prevails,” Betts said.
This story has been updated with news of Jones's death and remarks from his family members.
