The Inspector General’s Office issued a press release and provided a preliminary report on the investigation of an incident involving a fatal shooting of a suspect on Aug. 8 by a West Hartford Police officer. [Warning: This article includes videos that are graphic and may be disturbing to viewers.]
In this screenshot from Town Fair Tire surveillance video, Mike Alexander-Garcia is entering the RAV4 that is being worked on in the bay.
By Ronni Newton
A report released by Connecticut Inspector General Robert Devlin on Friday provided a timeline for an incident that unfolded in West Hartford on Tuesday, Aug. 8, that included the fatal shooting of a suspect by a West Hartford Police officer.
The Office of Inspector General, together with the Connecticut State Police Western District Major Crime Squad, and the West Hartford Police Department, are investigating the incident.
“Any loss of life is tragic in such a difficult situation,” West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor said in a statement Friday. “The videos that have been released are undeniably hard to watch. Thankfully, Connecticut has been a national leader in developing a fair, independent, and transparent system for investigating police-involved shootings. I am confident that our police department will work together with state authorities to ensure that a comprehensive and thorough investigation is conducted into this incident.”
According to Friday’s preliminary report, the incident began when West Hartford Police spotted and attempted to stop a blue Hyundai Elantra that had been reported as stolen on Aug. 4. The Hyundai, which had been spotted near Westfarms Mall, was traveling east on New Britain Avenue, and another officer used stop sticks to attempt to disable the vehicle near South Street, but the driver did not stop until after colliding with a silver BMW and then a blue Honda Pilot on New Britain Avenue.
The two occupants of the Hyundai – identified by the Office of Inspector General’s Office as Lyle Solsbury, 47, and Mike Alexander-Garcia, 34 – exited the vehicle and fled. West Hartford officers quickly apprehended Solsbury, who is a convicted felon with more than 30 arrests and charges pending in courts throughout Connecticut.
Officials said that Alexander-Garcia attempted to carjack two vehicles but was unsuccessful. He continued to Town Fair Tire, at 980 New Britain Avenue, and entered a Toyota RAV4 that was being worked on in one of the garage bays. Surveillance video from Town Fair Tire (which can be viewed here as well as below) shows an employee rushing toward the RAV4 and appearing to try to stop Alexander-Garcia, who appears in the video to be attempting to back the car out of the bay but was being slowed by equipment behind the front wheels.
Surveillance video shows K-9 Officer Andrew Teeter entering the garage bay roughly 10 seconds after Alexander-Garcia got into the RAV4. Ofc. Teeter ordered the Town Fair Tire employee to back down and immediately deployed his K-9 into the RAV4 through the passenger side window, and then entered the vehicle himself.
Ofc. Teeter, and the K-9 continued to struggle with Alexander-Garcia, who then backed out of the bay, and drove out of the Town Fair Tire parking lot, in the process striking two vehicles, one of which was the West Hartford Police Department K-9 vehicle.
“As Alexander-Garcia continued to drive, Officer Teeter discharged his weapon multiple times striking Alexander-Garcia in the torso,” the Office of Inspector General’s press release states. “The Toyota crashed into a utility pole across the street from Town Fair Tire near the intersection of New Britain Avenue and Shield Street.”
Police have released video from Ofc. Teeter’s Axon body camera, which can be viewed below. Please note that the video is EXTREMELY GRAPHIC AND DISTURBING. It includes profanity, and while the dog obscured some of the footage, one of the shots being fired can be seen and heard.
The Office of the Inspector General has also released dashboard camera footage from Ofc. Teeter’s vehicle, another responding officer’s vehicle, and the patrol supervisor’s vehicle – all of which can be seen below. The videos show the incident unfolding, including as Alexander-Garcia collides with Teeter’s vehicle, and narrowly misses hitting another police officer.
During a press briefing Wednesday, West Hartford Police Chief Vernon L. Riddick stated that police as well as West Hartford Fire Department paramedics provided CPR to the suspect, now identified as Alexander-Garcia, immediately after the RAV4 crashed into the utility pole. He was transported to Hartford Hospital, but was pronounced dead at 5:53 p.m.
Riddick issued the following statement on Friday: “The West Hartford Police Department greatly appreciates and respects the obligation of the Inspector General’s Office to release this video footage to the public. This was a dangerous situation involving multiple attempted car jackings and I encourage the public and media to review all of the details of what the Inspector General’s Office has released. The West Hartford Police Department believes strongly in transparency, and in all facts being gathered and impartially evaluated. To that end, state law clearly places the Inspector General’s office as the lead investigative entity of this incident, and we will continue to fully cooperate with them as they conduct their work.”
The report from the Office of the Inspector General can be viewed here.
Officer Teeter was also transported to an area hospital. He sustained a broken rib and multiple head lacerations and was released that night. Officials said the K-9 did not appear to sustain any injuries.
In the report provided Friday by the Office of the Inspector General, it was noted that the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the cause of Alexander-Garcia’s death to be: “Gunshot Wounds of Torso.” Neither the death certificate nor a toxicological report was available.
Solsbury was charged in this incident with interfering, larceny of a motor vehicle, and conspiracy to commit larceny of a motor vehicle. He is currently being held on $500,000 court-set bond and his next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 6, 2023.
Alexander-Garcia was also a convicted felon and according to online court records had served several jail sentences for larceny and other charges.
The investigation, which is continuing, is being conducted by the Office of Inspector General, Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Connecticut State Police Western District Major Crime Squad, and the West Hartford Police Department.
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I don’t get the mayor’s comments. No concern for personal property loss of innocent people or the liability loss of the business. How about the injured officer?