Naugatuck Police Justified In Shooting Of Man Armed With Knife, Inspector General Investigation Finds
NAUGATUCK, CT — An investigation by the state Office of Inspector General found two Naugatuck police officers were justified in the shooting of a man armed with a knife at a park in town last year.The results of the investigation were released Tuesday in a report written by Inspector General Eliot Prescott.According to Prescott, two officers shot and wounded Naugatuck resident Kyle O'Creene, 24 at the time of the incident, who "was suffering from an undisclosed mental illness and was attempting to commit 'suicide by cop.'"The ensuing OIG investigation of the officer-involved shooting revealed O'Creene called 911 just after 9 a.m. on April 25, 2024, and reported a man at Baummer's Pond Park wearing a dark jacket was pointing a knife at people in the park, Prescott wrote.Police were called to the park, located on Mill Street, where they found O'Creene wearing a dark jacket near a picnic table at the pond's edge, according to Prescott.As officers approached O'Creene, he removed a knife from his pocket and began walking toward the officers. He also "did not comply with their orders to drop the knife," Prescott wrote.The officers initially retreated as O'Creene walked toward them and repeated their orders to drop the knife, however he continued to move toward police without dropping it, according to Prescott.Several officers then deployed their Tasers, however "these attempts to use non-lethal force were unsuccessful," Prescott wrote.O'Creene then charged quickly toward one or more of the officers with the knife, and two officers "discharged their service handguns, striking and wounding O'Creene," Prescott wrote.Officers immediately rendered life-saving medical aid to O'Creene after he fell to the ground and he survived his gunshot wounds, Prescott wrote.According to Prescott, O'Creene stated while conscious "I want to die" and asked the officers "why didn't you kill me?""Based on our investigation, I conclude that, under the totality of the circumstances, [the officers] reasonably believed that O'Creene posed an immediate threat of serious injury or death to them and other officers at the scene," Prescott wrote in the report. "I find that the officers' use of deadly physical force was objectively reasonable and legally justified under the applicable legal standards."The report also included sworn written statements from the two officers involved in the shooting.See also: Man Shot By Police At Naugatuck Park Released From Hospital, Arrested: PDReport, Body Camera Footage Released In Shooting Involving Naugatuck Police: PDMan Armed With Knife Shot In Confrontation With Police: Naugatuck PDO'Creene was also interviewed by two inspectors from the OIG at Waterbury Hospital on April 26, 2024, during which he admitted to making the 911 call the day prior "because he wanted the police to kill him," Prescott wrote.O'Creene also noted he had no intentions of hurting the police officers with the knife, "but he purposely charged at them so that he could 'force their hand to shoot at [him],'" Prescott wrote.Medical records obtained from Waterbury Hospital by the OIG indicated O'Creene "suffered four gunshot wounds, although at least one bullet likely caused two of the wounds," according to Prescott.Prescott also noted O'Creene had gunshot wounds to his right bicep, left thigh, right thigh and the left side of his chest."Fortunately, none of these wounds alone, or in concert, were fatal," Prescott wrote.According to Prescott, state police determined the incident occurred in a grassy area of the park immediately adjacent to the pond and a parking lot that is bounded by the pond, a walking path that runs along the pond, a small parking lot and Mill Street."It was reasonable to infer that O'Creene was not going to cease his threatening behavior until one of the officers shot him," Prescott wrote. "Because of the rapidity of the encounter, there was no opportunity for the officers to engage in any significant de-escalation measures."O'Creene was arrested May 7 after being discharged from Waterbury Hospital and arraigned in court later that day, according to Naugatuck police.O'Creene pleaded guilty on March 28 to three counts of criminal attempt to commit assault on a public safety officer, according to Prescott.The full report from the Office of Inspector General can be viewed here.The article Naugatuck Police Justified In Shooting Of Man Armed With Knife, Inspector General Investigation Finds appeared first on Naugatuck, CT Patch.
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