Three CT officers found to be ‘justified’ in shooting death of man who fired at police

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New Haven, CT - The Connecticut Office of Inspector General has ruled that three officers who fatally shot a robbery suspect at a car wash in West Haven in 2024 were justified in their actions after the man fired at police, according to a report.

Sgt. Francisco Sanchez and Officer Michael Valente of the New Haven Police Department and Connecticut State Police Sgt. Colin Richter fired their department-issued handguns, killing 36-year-old Jebrell Conley on Sept. 19, 2024, as the New Haven Police Department Violent Crime Task Force was attempting to take him into custody on a warrant for federal Hobbs Act robbery and firearm charges, according to a report released by Inspector General Eliot Prescott.

The indictment arose out of a shooting and robbery incident in Hamden, the Tuesday report said.

Sanchez, Valente and Richter were a part of the task force that received information around 5 p.m. on that date that Conley was near Ella Grasso Boulevard driving a black Hyundai Tucson with New Jersey registration plate. According to the report, some members of the task force had prior knowledge of Conley from previous interactions with him.

A license plate reader indicated the Hyundai was at the Splash Car Wash at 2 Boston Post Road in an outdoor bay area where customers use vacuums to clean their cars, the report said.

At the car wash, task force officers including Sanchez, Valente and Richter observed Conley standing outside of the Hyundai. The officers attempted to block in the vehicle using their vehicles, according to the report.

When Conley spotted the officers, he got into the Hyundai. As five task force officers moved in to arrest Conley, they could be heard on the body camera footage yelling at Conley to get out of the car.

New Haven Officer Derek Huelsman is seen on his bodycam footage approaching the front driver’s side door and opening it with his gun pointed at Conley and saying “Get out of the (expletive) car, I will (expletive) shoot you. Get out of the car. Get out of the car let me see your hands.”

Conley then attempts to back up the car and hits a police vehicle.

At the same time, New Haven Officer Paul Vakos’ bodycam footage shows him approaching the front passenger side of the Hyundai, yelling at Conley, “Yo what are you doing?” To his left, Valente smashes the passenger-side window as Vakos yells “Oh (expletive) gun, gun, gun, gun, gun.”

Sanchez was moving toward Conley to physically remove him from the vehicle when he said he saw that Conley’s left arm was across his body, reaching toward the center console.

“Conley said something to the effect of ‘(expletive) this,’ quickly raised his right arm, and pointed a small green bag at me,” he told investigators. “I believed that he was holding a firearm inside of the bag and that he was going to shoot me. Believing that my life was in danger, I immediately retreated toward the rear of Conley’s vehicle.”

According to the report, Conley then fired one round that shattered the Hyundai’s front driver-side window.

“I heard a gunshot and believed that Conley discharged a firearm with the intention of killing me,” Sanchez told investigators. “I immediately drew my firearm and discharged it at him.” The investigation determined that Sanchez fired 11 rounds at Conley.

As Sanchez was firing, Valente fired eight shots into the vehicle at Conley, according to the report. As he fired his weapon, he retreated a few steps backward. As Valente fired his weapon, Richter can be viewed on bodycam footage standing at the front of the Hyundai and firing his handgun toward the front windshield of the vehicle while moving toward the front passenger window of the vehicle, the report said. Richter can be seen firing an additional few rounds through the front passenger window of the vehicle, According to the report, Richter fired a total of 13 rounds.

Multiple rounds struck Conley, who fell out of the Hyundai onto the parking lot. Officers swiftly provided medical aid before he was transported to Yale New Haven Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the report said.

Officers recovered a handgun with a high-capacity magazine from the area where Conley had fallen from the vehicle, according to the report. The handgun had reportedly jammed after firing one round, preventing Conley from firing additional rounds.

On Sept. 20, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on Conley. The autopsy stated that Conley suffered a total of 12 gunshot wounds, including to his head, neck, torso, arms and buttocks. His cause of death was determined to be gunshot wounds to his torso and upper extremity. “Bullets and bullet fragments were removed and sent to the state forensic lab for testing,” according to the report.

The report also stated that toxicology tests performed postmortem on Conley’s blood, urine and vitreous fluid were negative for the presence of alcohol or illegal substances.