MILFORD, Conn — Connecticut State Police Trooper Brian North has been acquitted of manslaughter charges connected to a 2020 shooting that killed Mubarak Soulemane.
North, 33, faced a manslaughter charge in the shooting death of Soulemane, 19, in West Haven on Jan. 15, 2020. He pleaded not guilty in June 2022.
A Milford jury found North not guilty on all charges - manslaughter, manslaughter in the 2nd degree, and criminal negligent homicide - after listening to testimony for about two weeks and deliberating for several days; the jury had to determine whether or not North's actions were an act of "extreme indifference to human life."
The legal team for Soulemane's family told FOX61 outside of court following the verdict they "disagree" with the jury's decision.
"I think it's contrary to the facts that were presented, but the jury saw it differently, in a number of respects probably," said Attorney Mark Arons.
"He's looking forward, not backward, that's all we can do," North's lead attorney, Frank Riccio II, said of his client outside of court following the verdict. "It was a very difficult process and everyone needs to take it day by day."
The 2020 shooting took place after a high-speed chase, with police radio reports that Soulemane had earlier committed a carjacking and was armed with a knife.
State Inspector General Robert Devlin found that the shooting wasn't justified and had told the court Wednesday that officers had Soulemane surrounded in the car and North didn't need to shoot into the vehicle.
Devlin released a statement Friday following the verdict, saying, "While the Office of Inspector General is disappointed with the outcome of the case, the Office respects the jury’s decision and thanks them for their service."
There is also an ongoing civil case looking into Soulemane's death, with his family hoping for a settlement with North and the other officers involved.
Riccio asked the six jurors to acquit his client, arguing that North believed Soulemane was about to attack two other officers with a knife when he opened fire. Those other officers testified that they were worried Soulemane might harm them, he pointed out.
“If they felt as though they were in fear of death or serious physical injury, how is it not reasonable to think that Trooper North thought that way as well?” Riccio asked.
On the day of the killing, North, Trooper Joshua Jackson and a West Haven police officer surrounded the stolen car after it crashed into another vehicle after exiting Interstate 95. The West Haven officer broke the passenger side window, and Jackson fired his Taser at Soulemane, which didn't work.
North fired his handgun seven times through the driver's window at close range when he said Soulemane pulled out a knife and turned toward the other officers. The shooting happened about 35 seconds after North got out of his cruiser following the crash.
North testified that he thought Soulemane was lunging at the other officers on the passenger side of the car, with a knife in his hand. He said he shot Soulemane to protect the other officers.
Devlin, who investigates all uses of deadly force by police in Connecticut, and found that the shooting wasn't justified, told the jury that officers had the car surrounded and Soulemane could not go anywhere. He said Soulemane was sitting in the driver's seat with a knife, but was not an imminent threat to police.
Riccio, though, said North believed Soulemane was about to attack the other officers and was defending them when he opened fire.
“He thinks about this every day,” he continued. “This is a terrible event. Someone lost their life. But the question is, is Trooper North criminally responsible for that? He is not.”
On the day of the shooting, Soulemane displayed a knife at an AT&T store in Norwalk and unsuccessfully tried to steal a cellphone, according to police. He then slapped a Lyft driver and drove off in the driver’s car after the driver got out, leading police on a 30-mile (48-kilometer) chase from Norwalk to West Haven at speeds that reached up to 100 mph (161 kph) during the afternoon rush.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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