HARTFORD (WTIC News) -- Attorneys for ex-Hartford police officer Joseph Magnano and the Hartford Police Union are going on offense to discredit the state Inspector General’s arrest warrant detailing the findings that led to a first-degree manslaughter charge against him.
“The judge that signed that warrant was misled,” says union president James Rutkowski.
In February, Magnano fatally shot Hartford resident Stevie Jones, 55, on Blue Hills Ave. Jones was experiencing a mental health episode and was carrying a knife at the time.
Magnano’s attorney is challenging the veracity of the warrant in court. Rutkowski is going further, demanding that Gov. Ned Lamont remove Chief Inspector Racheal Cain and her boss, Inspector General Eliot Prescott, from their positions until an “independent investigation” is complete.
“We cannot have these unethical, immoral individuals representing accountability, justice and truth,” says Rutkowski.
Beyond that, Rutkowski says Cain should be “put in jail” for lying to the court and Prescott should be disbarred.
A spokesperson for the Office of the Inspector General says the office “will respond in court at the appropriate time.”
Rutkowski claims the warrant omits a key paragraph from an incident report prepared by Magnano and contains a number of falsehoods.
He says the warrant’s claim that Magnano failed to attempt to deescalate the scene is false. Magnano is seen on video with his gun raised and pointed at Jones, yelling him to “Drop the knife!” He then fired nine shots, according to prosecutors.
Rutkowski also disputes the accusation that Magnano fired four shots ‘after’ Jones fell to the ground.
“Nothing in the medical examiner’s report said any shot was fired after Jones was on the ground,” says Rutkowski. “Those findings were in the state’s possession. They intentionally left them out.”
A spokesperson for Gov. Ned Lamont says, “The Governor cannot comment on pending criminal proceedings. If a member of the Office of the Inspector General is found to have engaged in misconduct, that matter would be referred to the Criminal Justice Commission, which holds the power to appoint and dismiss the OIG.”
Jones was Black. In May, noted civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who’s representing the Jones family, said, “The charging of this officer is a necessary and meaningful step toward accountability for Stevie Jones and his family. Stevie was in the middle of a mental health crisis, and instead of receiving the care he needed, he was shot nine times. This charge reflects what the family has known all along, that what happened to Stevie was not justified.”
Separately, Magnano is challenging his termination by Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam.
In March, Rev. Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network (NAN), backed Magnano’s firing, saying, “We cannot accept a system where mental illness and the color of your skin can become a death sentence… Firing Officer Magnano is a necessary first step, but the Jones family and the people of Hartford deserve full justice, and NAN will continue to stand with them until that justice is delivered.”
