- A
Connecticut state trooper was arrested after shooting and killing a Black man more than two years ago. - Trooper Brian North faces one count of manslaughter.
The
North has been charged with manslaughter in the first degree with a firearm.
"The family of Mubarak Soulemane is very happy that, after more than two years, Connecticut Trooper Brian North, who murdered Mubarak in West Haven in January 2020, may be brought to justice," Mark Arons, an attorney for Soulemane's family, said in a written statement. "It's a long road ahead. But this is a good day. The family celebrates the fact that there is now a path towards justice for Mubarak in Connecticut."
On January 15, state troopers and West Haven police pulled over Souleman, who was traveling in a white Hyundai sedan that officers learned he had stolen from a Lyft driver earlier in the day, according to the report.
Law enforcement blocked the car between two of theirs, preventing him from being able to drive off.
When they approached the car, the windows were up, so a West Haven officer began smashing out the passenger door window, before another state trooper fired a stun gun at Soulemane.
When North saw Souleman reach for a knife in his pocket, North fired his gun seven times, killing him, the investigation found. Soulemane was holding a knife at the time of the shooting, according to the report.
North can be heard saying "Jackson, pull the Taser," before firing 7 shots into the vehicle's driver-side window on body camera footage released by police.
North told investigators that he opened fire because he was concerned that the officers on the passenger-side of the car were in "imminent risk of serious physical injury or death, and could have been stabbed in the neck or face as they attempted to enter the vehicle and remove the suspect."
"As a result, I discharged my duty firearm to eliminate the threat," North told investigators, according to the report.
Inspector General Robert J. Devlin, Jr., however, found that the threat was not serious enough to use lethal force.
"Stated briefly, the investigation establishes that, at the time Trooper North fired his weapon, neither he nor any other person was in imminent danger of serious injury or death from a knife attack at the hands of Soulemane," Devlin, Jr. wrote in the report. "Further, any belief that persons were in such danger was not reasonable."
North turned himself in at the state police barracks on Tuesday where he was arrested and placed on administrative leave, state police told Insider in a statement.
He was released on a $50,000 bond, according to a Wednesday statement from Devlin.
The
"Regardless of the Inspector General's decision, we will respect the judicial process while we vigorously defend Trooper North and his actions," the statement said according to WTNH.