The attorney for the Hartford teen tasered by a police detective last month is calling for a third party investigation into the incident.
The request came Friday--just one day after a police internal affairs investigation cleared the officer of misconduct. In their internal affairs investigation, Hartford Police investigators said Detective Shawn Ware complied with policy.
But at a press conference Friday afternoon, the teen’s attorney questioned the legitimacy of the internal investigation. Attorney Jamaal T. Johnson scheduled the press conference across from the Capitol on Friday afternoon, not wasting any time after police released their internal affairs investigation Thursday night.
It centers on the Aug. 19 use of force by Det. Shawn Ware, when he fired his Taser at 18-year-old Luis Anglero Jr.
Johnson is representing Anglero and calls the police internal affairs investigation “a conflict of interest.”
"While I am disappointed in the Hartford Police Department, I am not at all surprised...The only way to have any meaningful investigation in this matter--it must be done by a third party… My client was absolutely doing the right thing, my client is absolutely innocent,” said Johnson.
Johnson also said police are unlikely to ever admit one of their own officers was wrong because the department could face punishment and liability by association.
He also called on the State’s Attorney’s office to “do the right thing.”
FOX CT reached out to the Hartford Police Department’s spokesman after the press conference, but he declined to comment on the attorney’s remarks or elaborate on Thursday’s investigation.