HARTFORD, Conn. — Five days after the Hartford Police Department buried one of its own, the State’s Attorney for Hartford upped charges against the 18-year-old high school student charged with hitting and killing Det. Robert ‘Bobby’ Garten and seriously wounding Officer Brian Kearney.
Richard Barrington Jr. appeared at Hartford Superior Court on Thursday for a second arraignment in connection with the crash that killed Garten and seriously injured Kearney on Sept. 6.
Additional charges in connection to the crash include first-degree manslaughter and first-degree assault, as well as reckless endangerment, disobeying the direction of an officer, reckless driving, DUI, and failure to yield to an emergency vehicle.
Barrington remains in custody with bail set at $1 million. Several dozen police officers and Barrington’s family were present inside the court.
Barrington suffered minor injuries and was initially charged with failure to obey a traffic control signal, failure to renew the registration, misuse of plates, and interfering with police.
Barrington’s case is set to continue in court on Oct. 17.
“The presence of HPD is to signify the family and the surviving officer’s commitment to seeing this case through,” said Sharmese Walcott, State’s Attorney for Hartford.
[Barrington’s] family and friends are in the courtroom this afternoon, Judge. All I can request of the court, Your Honor, is to take into consideration his age, the lack of a record, and his ties to the community," Public Defender Michael Wagner said.
According to the warrant, the 18-year-old told police he “did stop, but then felt scared, put the car in drive, and took off” on the night of Sept. 6, killing Det. Garten and putting Officer Kearney “at risk of death due to internal bleeding.” Kearney was hospitalized for 8 days before being released with what is believed to be “life-altering injuries,” the warrant states.
Barrington was reportedly on the phone with a friend explaining that he was fleeing from officers while blowing past two red lights. Documents show police found cannabis and a scale in his car.
“They don’t want us pursuing vehicles to some degree. There’s stipulations within that. I think they need to balance the scales," said James Rutkauski, the Hartford Police Union President.
Rutkauski said the showing of force by officers in court is also a plea for Judicial and criminal accountability following laws passed in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police.
“If you’re going to tell us that we can’t put the community at risk. Well, then I think the people that are driving those cars like Mr. Barrington did need to know if they do that, the penalties are going to be increased and not be a misdemeanor,” Rutkauski said outside court.
HPD Union officials told FOX61 they are working with lawmakers to advance legislation to strengthen charges in cases like this.
Bobby Garten, 34, was a second-generation police officer who served for eight years in the Hartford Police Department. He was posthumously promoted to detective.
Garten was laid to rest on Saturday after funeral services at the XL Center in Hartford.
Garten's legacy will continue to live on within the Hartford Police Department. Chief Jason Thody said his locker will be retired with a glass door so he will always be honored for his ultimate sacrifice.
The last on-duty officer death the Hartford Police Department endured was in 1996.
Samaia Hernandez is a reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at shernandez@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
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