NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The family of Mubarak Soulemane spoke publicly for the first time after a state trooper was charged in connection with Soulemane's death Thursday at a press conference.
Along Campbell Ave., near Interstate 95, just steps from where the Soulemane was shot to death by Trooper Brian North, following a lengthy and dangerous police chase in January 2020, his family expressed appreciation.
Omo Mohammed, Soulemane's mother, said, "Just to prosecute Brian North is a relief for us. But we're not finished yet. This is just the beginning."
Mariyann Soulemane, Soulemane's sister, said the actions of the inspector general that lead to the arrest validated what the family had been saying in two year's since the 19-year-old died. "This brings us some semblance of peace, but it still saddens us."
She also noted other cases when someone had been killed by police officers like Jayson Negron, but the officers were not prosecuted.
Soulemane's family, attorneys Mark Arons and Sanford Rubenstein, alongside Reverend Kevin McCall, held the press conference near the highway underpass where Soulemane was killed.
Connecticut State Trooper Brian North was charged on April 19 with manslaughter in the first degree with a firearm in connection to the shooting of Soulemane in West Haven.
North fatally shot Mubarak Soulemane on January 15, 2020, as Soulemane sat in the driver’s seat of a car in West Haven, where a high-speed chase ended and police boxed in the car. Officials say North posted $50,000 bail, was placed on paid administrative leave and his police powers were suspended.
Soulemane’s family, the NAACP and other groups said North, who is white, should not have shot Soulemane, who was Black, because police had him surrounded and he could not get away. Soulemane had a knife, but he was inside the car by himself and police should have attempted to deescalate the situation, they said.
Soulemane was a community college student who had schizophrenia, his family said.
A report released by Inspector General Robert Devlin’s office said the shooting was not justified. Devlin concluded despite North's claim that he shot to protect other officers from a knife-wielding Soulemane, who was in a car, by himself, nobody on scene faced actual or imminent danger.
“At the time Trooper North fired his weapon, neither he nor any other person was in imminent danger of serious injury or death from a knife attack at the hands of Soulemane,” the report said. “Further, any belief that persons were in such danger was not reasonable.”
The report also includes a lengthy statement by North on the shooting. He said Soulemane was “holding the knife in an aggressive manner” and appeared to be preparing to attack other officers who were outside the car.
"I think we've kind of gotten to the point where we've just accepted whatever as being reasonable and there are very specific constraints on what is reasonable," said John Velleca, a retired Assistant New Haven Police Chief, who now teaches criminal justice course at Albertus Magnus College and Springfield College.
He says three factors determine reasonable use of force.
"The severity of the crime, the potential for an escape of the suspect and the degree of force that is being used against you," Velleca added.
The IG report notes only 36 seconds elapsed between North taking a position next to the driver window of the alleged stolen car and him shooting seven times.
"The running up on a vehicle after a long pursuit is not something that we train, not something that's taught," Velleca noted. "That's a felony stop. The officers are supposed to stay back in their vehicles and issue commands over the PA."
According to the Chief State's Attorney's Office, between 2001 and 2020, there were 76 police-related deaths in Connecticut and only one officer was charged. That was 17 years ago and that Hartford cop was acquitted four years later.
Doug Stewart is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
Tony Terzi is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at tterzi@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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