HARTFORD – Tolland State's Attorney Matthew Gedansky today announced that he would not pursue charges against members of the CREST regional SWAT unit who killed Jose “Jay” Soto in Manchester in April. Gedansky’s report stated that Matthew Alexander of the Enfield Police Department, Shawn Krom of the Manchester Police Department, David Williams of the Manchester Police Department, and Shane Murphy of the Wethersfield Police Department all shot at Mr. Soto.
The following is a reaction from ACLU of Connecticut executive director David McGuire:
“Jose Soto should still be alive today. Once again, the state has failed to hold police accountable for killing a Latino man. In this report, Jose Soto’s mother stated to state police investigators that she told police at the time that her son was unarmed, and that she begged them not to kill him. When someone is suicidal, they need help, not SWAT teams that show up armed to the teeth and then kill them. Ending police violence requires more work from policymakers at every level, including but not limited to changing the use of force standard and instituting a truly independent inspector general.”
