HARTFORD -- A jury found a Hartford police officer not guilty of negligent homicide for colliding with another car, leaving the driver dead.
On Monday, Officer Taikwon Dudley was acquitted of negligent homicide with a motor vehicle, reckless driving, traveling unreasonably fast and failure to obey a traffic signal.
Family of the victim, Anthony Mansfield, 50, spoke out passionately against the verdict and accused the prosecutor of not doing enough.
"My parents physically lost their son. My siblings and I physically lost a brother. My two nieces physically lost a father. My two great nephews physically lost their grandfather,” Mansfield’s sister Sherry Mansfield said.
According to his arrest warrant, Dudley was rushing to help officers pursue a suspect when he went through red traffic light, crashing into the side of Mansfield’s car. Investigators found that Dudley was traveling 57 mph in a 30 mph zone. Mansfield died a week later.
"I think Officer Dudley just exercised poor judgment that night. He didn't follow policy and procedure,” Sherry Mansfield said.
The Mansfield family is pursuing civil action against Dudley and the Hartford Police Department.
Officer Dudley could not be reached for comment on Monday.
