MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — Saturday morning at 6:33 a.m. was not the first time Middletown police visited local landlord Winston Tate.
“They came to my house numerous times. The police officers came to my house,” Tate, 52, of Liberty Street, speaking during an arraignment at Middlesex Superior Court.
The Office of Inspector General released body camera footage Tuesday and is now leading an investigation into what transpired in a matter of seconds that left Tate with bullet wounds and sent a detective to the hospital where she was treated and released.
The body camera shows a man running towards the officer and disregarding her calls to “stop” or drop the hammer in his hand. He’s seen hitting the officer multiple times while she’s on the ground and begins firing shots.
Middletown Police were called to the multi-family home three times recently, including the night before Tate reportedly attacked a detective with a hammer and was shot in return.
Prior calls were on reports of “manic,” “argumentative” and “uncooperative behavior,” court documents state.
“I’m supposed to not have police contact. When they come around, I was really getting nervous. They called me outside. They called me out there, Mr. Tate, come outside,” Tate added.
Despite his defense counsel’s advice, the 52-year-old addressed a courtroom filled and lined with uniformed officers Tuesday.
Tate is an Army veteran who was honorably discharged after serving in Iraq and has a medication diagnosis as it relates to his military service, an attorney said.
An attorney stated that Tate was shot several times and was bleeding while standing in court wearing a blue hospital gown.
Documents show Detective Karli Travis was responding to several reports of Tate “screaming and smashing glass” Saturday morning when he approached her wielding a claw hammer.
“Mr. Tate came upon Detective Travis in a matter of seconds. It was clear based on what I saw from her bodycam that she used her training experience, did everything she was supposed to do,” said Christopher Parakilas, Supv. Asst. State’s Atty. “Struck by blow with that claw hammer to her shoulder. She fell to the ground. Her body cam became detached and the rest of what you hear is audio. Hearing her scream for help and trying to diffuse the situation, absolutely chilling.”
One thing is clear, Detective Travis’ body camera footage is key in the state’s case, which charges Tate with first-degree attempted assault and second-degree assault on an officer. He was previously charged with assaulting an officer in 2018.
Tate has a prior 2018 case involving an assault on an officer.
Judge Elizabeth Leaming raised bail for Tate from $500,000 to $850,000 Tate is due back in court on Thursday.
Samaia Hernandez is a reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at shernandez@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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