The Connecticut Office of Inspector General released body camera footage Monday showing a New Haven man wanted on an outstanding warrant being shot multiple times after firing at officers during a stop in West Haven last week.
On Sept. 19, the New Haven Police Department Violent Crime Task Force learned that 36-year-old Jebrell Conley of New Haven had an outstanding warrant for his arrest on federal Hobbs Act robbery and related firearm charges, according to a preliminary status report from Inspector General Robert J. Devlin regarding the use of force.
Devlin said the task force knew Conley from past contact with him.
CT man fatally shot by police after he allegedly pulled gun during investigation in West Haven
Around 5 p.m., the task force received information that Conley was driving a black Hyundai Tucson with a New Jersey registration plate in the area of Ella Grasso Boulevard. According to Devlin, a license plate reader hit placed the Hyundai on the property of Splash Car Wash, located at 2 Boston Post Road in West Haven, in the area where customers can vacuum their cars.
Arriving task force officers saw Conley standing outside of the Hyundai at the car wash, Devlin said. The officers attempted to block the Hyundai using their vehicles.
Conley reportedly spotted the officers and got into the Tucson, according to Devlin. As five task force officers moved in to arrest Conley, they could be heard on the body camera footage yelling at Conley to get out of the car.
New Haven Officer Derek Huelsman is seen on his bodycam footage approaching the front driver’s side door and opening it with his gun pointed at Conley and saying “Get out of the (expletive) car, I will (expletive) shoot you. Get out of the car. Get out of the car let me see your hands.”
Conley then attempts to back up the car and hits a police vehicle.
At the same time, New Haven Officer Paul Vakos’ bodycam footage shows him approaching the front passenger side of the Hyundai, yelling at Conley, “Yo what are you doing?” To his left, New Haven Officer Michael Valente smashes the passenger-side window as Vakos yells “Oh (expletive) gun, gun, gun, gun, gun.”
Conley appeared to fire one round that shattered the Hyundai’s front driver-side window, according to Devlin, and three task force officers — Valente, Connecticut State Police Sgt. Colin Richter, New Haven Police Sgt. Francisco Sanchez — returned fire, bodycam footage shows.
Several rounds struck Conley, who fell out of Tucson onto the parking lot. Sanchez yells “Stop, stop, stop” as Vakos yells “Stop hold, hold, hold, hold, hold” while he tells officers to get down and says “he’s pointing a (expletive) gun,” bodycam footage shows.
Sanchez approaches Conley and yells, “Stop get down. Put him in cuffs,” according to the bodycam footage. Officers then commenced to provide medical aid to Conley.
Conley was transported to Yale New Haven Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
According to Devlin, officers recovered a handgun with a high-capacity magazine from the area where Conley had fallen from the vehicle. “Initial inspection of the handgun suggests that it had jammed after firing one round,” Devlin said.
On Sept. 20, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the cause of Jebrell Conley’s death to be “gunshot wounds of torso and upper right extremity.”
According to Devlin, neither the death certificate nor the toxicological report was available at this time.
The Office of Inspector General, the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, the Connecticut State Police Central District Major Crime Squad, the New Haven Police Department, and the New Haven Judicial District State’s Attorney’s Office are conducting the ongoing investigation.
