NEW BRITAIN, Conn — An outspoken yet heartbroken New Britain family is vowing to continue its quest for justice after learning prosecutors will not charge a New Britain Police officer for the death of their mother.
A lengthy report by the State’s Attorney’s Office claims there’s not enough evidence to charge the officer, who hit the woman with his cruiser, with manslaughter.
The family of Katherine Colon says they have lost faith in the justice system after this report not only declines to charge New Britain Police officer Connor Reinsch but also blames Colon for “intentionally placing herself in unnecessary danger.”
It’s a 132-page report of the moment Katherine Colon was killed. A report that includes evidence photos of the scene, the damaged cruiser, the clothes Colon was wearing, and a diagram of the impact location. “It has put a lot of stress on our family as a whole,” remarked Maribel Rodriguez, the daughter of Katherine Colon.
The report declines to charge Reinsch and blames the victim, saying Colon was wearing dark clothing and “appeared suddenly and out of nowhere,” not showing any sign of “evasive or reactionary type actions.” “They want to cast blame on the victim—the pedestrian—my mother, who was just crossing the street,” said Rodriguez.
The 40-year-old New Britain mother of four was run over in September 2023 by New Britain Police Officer Conner Reinsch. Her death was followed by days of protest in New Britain.
The state’s attorney’s report concluded Reinsch was speeding without his emergency lights and sirens at about 1 a.m. on his way to check out a burglary, when he struck Colon on West Main Street. “Our family is demanding that this officer be held accountable, arrested, fired and decertified because this is negligent,” said Rodriguez.
Moments before impact, Reinsch admitted he got distracted by a man on the side of the road, saying, “I turned my head to the right to get a better look at the male…” A witness described Reinsch as “upset and crying” after the impact.
“We're disgusted. Our family is ultimately devastated that this officer won’t be held accountable even though we know he was speeding excessively without his lights on to a non-emergency call,” responded Rodriguez.
It’s unclear why Colon was out at 1 a.m. or where she was going. A toxicology report discovered Colon was high on a cocktail of substances ranging from alcohol and cocaine to fentanyl.
Chief Matt Marino said in a statement, “Officer Reinsch remains on restricted duty…We recognize these circumstances will have a lasting effect on Katherine’s family and friends as well as the community. We continue to offer our most sincere condolences…” Reinsch does not have a past disciplinary history.
Rodriguez said she plans to hold another rally to honor her mother and call for justice on the sixth-month anniversary of her death on March 21.
RELATED: Sisters grieve mother's death; Call for accountability following New Britain police involved crash
Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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