42°
Connecticut State Police have assumed the investigation of the death of Jayson Negon, 15, who was shot and killed on Tuesday, May 9 by Officer James Boulay, according to police. Negron was shot after police said he was cornered while driving a stolen car, and that he accelerated quickly and hit at least one officer.
Police are requesting anyone who may have video recordings, still photos or witness testimony of the incident or scene to contact them. They can be contacted at (203) 696-2569. You can also text TIP711 and any information to 274637.
Late last week video surface on social media that appeared to show Negron lying handcuffed on the street after being shot.
Related story: Video shows moments after Bridgeport teen was shot by cop
Members of the ACLU of Connecticut joined lawmakers in a press conference Tuesday to demand answers in the case and call for police reform legislation.
"The Bridgeport Police Department’s many self-contradictions in the aftermath of Jayson Negron’s death raise serious questions about the department’s policies, transparency, training, and accountability," said David McGuire, executive director of the ACLU of Connecticut. "We are calling for the Bridgeport Police Department to, at minimum, immediately release department policies and Officer Boulay’s training history to the public."
McGuire said that Negron's death was preventable, and that the state legislature has not done enough to enact police reform.
""Bridgeport must fix the problems in its own police department, and Connecticut must adopt statewide police reform. We will not be able to solve these difficult problems overnight, but we refuse to accept the idea that Connecticut is destined to repeat this cycle of fatal encounters with police and racial disparities in policing, which leave some of our communities over policed and under protected.”
On Wednesday morning, the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association pushed back against statements made by the ACLU.
"The Connecticut Police Chiefs Association is astonished that the ACLU, an organization which proposes to fight for justice and civil liberties, denies a police officer the same rights while rushing to judge a tragic shooting death in Bridgeport by calling the event police misconduct before the facts are compiled and the independent investigation completed and reviewed by a state’s attorney,". said John L. Salvatore, chief of the Monroe Police Department and president of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association.
"The ACLU struggles to identify misconduct in Connecticut Policing with references to a flawed and biased survey conducted by their questionably trained interns, exaggerated representations of police community interactions, most of which occur out of state, anecdotal references to police behavior, which are supported by little if any facts, with repeated calls to the legislature of police reform."
"Reform of what? We have a statewide civilian complaint process that appears to work. There has been no sustainable incident of anyone wishing to file a complaint against police who has been denied such right. Connecticut Police are well trained and are regularly reviewed and recertified as officers. Of course, there is always a need and desire by most police chiefs and departments to continuously improve services to their respective communities and, there are times when mistakes are made or inappropriate behavior by a minority of offices occur, but they are addressed and not swept under the rug as inferred by the ACLU."
The passenger in the car at the time Negron was shot, identified as 21-year-old Julian Fyffe, has filed a $6 million lawsuit against the city of Bridgeport, Boulay, and Bridgeport Police Chief AJ Perez, according to Fox 61.
Related story: Passenger files lawsuit against Bridgeport in officer-involved shooting
Fyffe was also shot in the incident, and was treated at Bridgeport Hospital for his injuries. In an interview with Fox 61, he said that the car was not stolen and that Negron was trying to cooperate with officers when he accidentally drove in the wrong direction.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Bridgeport and receive free news updates.
