DAYVILLE, Conn. (WJAR) — Police body camera video shows a Connecticut State Police trooper firing a stun gun at a fleeing suspect before eventually shooting the man in a shopping center parking lot.
The Connecticut Office of Inspector General said the Saturday afternoon encounter began when Trooper Joseph Godbout spotted a car that Rhode Island authorities sought in connection with a robbery.
The suspect, identified as Ruben Muller, was standing outside the car at a gas station in Dayville when Godbout asked for his license. Muller began running across the parking lot with the trooper in pursuit.
The inspector general said Godbout discharged his stun gun, causing Muller to fall. The suspect got up and started running again, but he ran into a truck and fell again.
“Trooper Godbout attempted to TASER Muller again. Muller then reached into his ankle area and pulled out a revolver,” the inspector general said in a news release. “At this point, Trooper Godbout fired one shot striking Muller in the chest area.”
The revolver was visible on the ground next to Muller in footage from Godbout’s bodycam.
Muller was treated at the scene and taken to Day Kimball Hospital in Putnam. He was transferred to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.
The release did not say if any charges had been filed.
Former Massachusetts State Trooper Todd McGhee agreed with the officer’s decision.
The Connecticut Office of Inspector General said the incident is still under investigation
