WEST HARTFORD, Conn — Videos of the events leading up to an officer fatally shooting a suspect at a West Hartford Town Fair Tire on Tuesday were released Friday.
Office of the Inspector General is investigating whether West Hartford Police Officer Andrew Teeter's actions that resulted in the death of Mike Alexander-Garcia, 34, were justified.
Police were called Tuesday to find a stolen vehicle that was last seen at the West Farms Mall. Police found the vehicle on New Britain Ave. and they tried to stop the car with stop sticks.
The stolen vehicle ended up hitting two cars while at the intersection of New Britain Ave. and South St., which disabled the suspect vehicle, investigators said.
Two people, Lyle Solsbury and Alexander-Garcia, exited the vehicle, and Solsbury was then apprehended.
Alexander-Garcia then ran along New Britain Ave., attempting to carjack two vehicles before getting to Town Fair Tire.
He went into one of the garage service bays and went into a Toyota RAV4.
That's when Teeter and his K9 went into the garage bay and got in the passenger side of the RAV4, as seen in one of the videos released.
Alexander-Garcia, in the driver's seat, backed out of the garage and hit two vehicles in the parking lot, one of them being a police cruiser, investigators said.
Teeter is seen in a body cam video attempting to stop Alexander-Garcia before shooting him multiple times. The RAV4 ended up crashing into a pole across the street from the Town Fair Tire.
Alexander-Garcia was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined Alexander-Garcia's death to be "gunshot wounds to torso." The manner of death has been certified as "homicide."
Teeter ended up with a broken rib and multiple cuts on his head and the K-9 did not appear injured, investigators said.
In a statement on Friday, West Hartford Mayor Shari G. Cantor said the videos released were "undeniably hard to watch."
"Thankfully, Connecticut has been a national leader in developing a fair, independent, and transparent system for investigating police-involved shootings," Cantor said. "I am confident that our Police Department will work together with state authorities to ensure that a comprehensive and thorough investigation is conducted into this incident."
The police chief said in a statement that the incident was a "dangerous situation involving multiple attempted car jackings." He encouraged the public and media to review all the details released by the Inspector General's Office.
"The West Hartford Police Department believes strongly in transparency, and in all facts being gathered and impartially evaluated," Chief Vernon L. Riddick said in a statement Friday. "To that end, state law clearly places the Inspector General’s office as the lead investigative entity of this incident, and we will continue to fully cooperate with them as they conduct their work."
In a letter obtained by FOX61, the attorneys representing Alexander-Garcia's family informed the town of West Hartford and investigators that the family was "shocked and surprised" that they were not told the videos were released.
"They first saw the final moments of their son’s life broadcast on a news channel, without the courtesy of notice or the opportunity for a private viewing," the letter stated, and added, "A son and a brother have been lost at the hands of the police."
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