Sandy MaloneNew Haven, CT – Police released bodycam video of the shooting of a New Haven police officer on who shot multiple times while responding to a crash of a stolen car and announced the would-be cop killer has been apprehended (video below).
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said a vehicle crashed into a telephone pole on Chapel Street just before 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 7, the New Haven Register reported.
New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson said the wrecked car was had been reported stolen two months earlier.
Bodycam video of the incident showed that New Haven Police Officer Chad Curry was the first officer to arrive on the scene of the wreck.
The video showed he spotted the driver – later identified as 36-year-old Jose Claudio – fleeing down the sidewalk in an orange sweatshirt.
So, Officer Curry turned around his police car and following the suspect running down the sidewalk.
When the officer caught up with Claudio at a corner, he put down his window and yelled at the suspect, “Hey, stop f-king run-…”
But the officer’s command was cut short as bodycam video showed Claudio turned and pointed a gun at the officer and started shooting.
Claudio fired five shots at Officer Curry through the patrol unit’s windshield, the video showed.
Officials said the nine-year-veteran of the New Haven police force was shot in the ear and the shoulder, the New Haven Register reported.
The video showed the wounded hero dove out of the driver’s side door and began returning fire at the suspect.
He chased the armed suspect and the two engaged in a running gun battle, the video showed.
“This suspect immediately started firing unprovoked on Officer Curry,” Chief Jacobson told reporters. “He had no choice but to defend himself and fire back.”
The suspect fled, causing the city to activate a shelter-in-place order for the neighborhood overnight, the New Haven Register reported.
It wasn’t known if the suspect was wounded by gunfire during the exchange.
Police said it turned out the crashed car had been reported stolen two months ago, the New Haven Register reported.
Claudio was arrested in Hartford on Oct. 7 after a 12-hour manhunt, WTIC reported.
He has been charged with assault in the first degree, assault of a public safety officer, criminal possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit, unlawful discharge of a firearm, and reckless endangerment.
Claudio was held in custody on a $1 million bond and an arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday, WTIC reported.
Court records showed that Claudio has a slew of previous misdemeanor convictions under his belt that included conspiracy to commit sale of drugs, disorderly conduct, and breach of the peace.
The police chief said he was proud of Officer Curry, the New Haven Register reported.
He said Officer Curry acted out of courage and “every step of this investigation that he partakes in is done by the book.”
The Connecticut Office of the Inspector General, the New Haven Police Department, and the Connecticut State Police are investigating the officer-involved shooting, the New Haven Register reported.
The mayor praised the wounded officer’s bravery, too.
“We’ve watched the video and it’s just remarkable how Officer Curry quickly responded and put himself at risk,” Elicker said. “So often we say that police officers are putting themselves at risk, but we don’t often remember what that means until we see what happened last night.”
Officer Curry was treated for his gunshot wounds and has since been released from the hospital to recovery at home, WTIC reported.
Watch the incident unfold in the video below. WARNING – Graphic Content and Obscene Language:
Holly Matkin
