HARTFORD, Conn — Hartford police released an internal affairs report Wednesday on the attack of State Rep. Maryam Khan in June of 2023. The findings determined that an officer did not include all the details needed in the initial report of the incident and that other allegations made against police that responded were "unfounded."
The report counters claims made by Khan during a press conference in July of 2023 about the incident in which she was attacked by a man, identified by police as 30-year-old Andrey Desmond from New Britain, while attending an Eid al-Adha prayer service at the XL Center, "inferring the system as a whole had failed her" after the assault.
In the report, police determined that "it appears as if the citizens and police served her in her time of need," and that an allegation that officers who responded to the incident neglected their duty was inaccurate.
Khan released a statement Friday in response to the report, saying that it is her duty to the citizens she represents to "tell the truth about my experience from this traumatic event, including the mismanagement of my case."
Khan said she submitted an FOIA request for footage of the incident "nearly a year ago," and has still not received it. Khan also said she went through the mayor's office to request to work with police on the investigation, "but was disappointed that my request was not met."
"My initial comments were not intended to disparage the entire police department but were meant to highlight specific concerns regarding the adequacy of security and safety measures in place during the unfortunate incident I experienced and the reporting of the incident afterwards," Khan said. "I stand by my account and believe that open dialogue and transparency are essential in moving forward."
"Despite my disappointment in the way that my case has been publicly addressed, I remain committed to working collaboratively with the Hartford Police Department and the City of Hartford to enhance public safety," Khan added.
The information in the summary from the internal affairs division was based on details from the conference, video from the XL Center, body-cam video from officers at the scene, all police reports surrounding the incident, interviews with officers involved and the steps that were taken by police during the investigation, police said.
The report notes that at the press conference, Khan said police were in front of the XL Center when she arrived to the service but were not around during the attack after the event. According to the findings, officers at the event were hired to work between 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Dispatch reportedly received a call for service five minutes after officers were released from their duties.
Khan also said during the conference that she had to convince emergency responders at the scene that she had been injured and emotionally traumatized. According to the report, a dispatch recording showed that Khan at first declined medical attention from the dispatcher and accepted an ambulance two minutes after when the dispatcher asked her again if she needed treatment.
She was offered medical help a total of three times by dispatch and by an officer on scene, police said.
The report also disputes a claim from Khan, in which she was noted saying that police "did not escort her back to her vehicle" after the incident. Police said that Desmond had already been arrested at that point, and that an officer did ask Khan if she needed a ride, despite the fact that it appeared she had not heard her on body-cam video.
According to police, Khan told an officer that "We're going to walk" and that the "car's parked right there," pointing at the XL Center garage, after they had asked if she walked to the scene.
Khan further claimed that the police report did not include everything she told officers, and that it did not include the fact that she was a Muslim or that her children had witnessed the incident. Police said that it is unclear if she received all the information documented by police, including before and after she had left the scene, and that it was determined that the details given by both witnesses and victim "did not indicate in any way that a hate crime was committed, which would be the only appropriate reason to document [her] religion."
According to the report, Hartford Police Ofc. Timothy Rogers was recommended to undergo retraining as he did not include the names of Khan's children in his initial summary of the incident and that "he did not provide many details of the interaction" that led up to her assault. Police add in the document that he should have documented "pertinent information" such as the "children's involvement as well as anyone else present."
Rogers previously completed his first police training on April 3, 2022 and is considered a "newer officer," police said.
The report notes that although he asked Khan for her children's information, he did not include it in his summary. It also mentions that he did not view his bodycam footage prior to writing the summary of the incident. Despite this, Hartford Police Chief Jason Thody said in a statement that the "reporting issues were corrected later in the investigation" and that it "had no impact on the case."
“I can only imagine how painful and traumatic this assault was for the victim and her family, and no one in any community should have to experience so senseless and traumatic an attack," Thody said. "My heart goes out to her and her family, and as a department, we are deeply committed to ensuring that our response to all victims is compassionate, empathetic, professional, and thorough."
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