The Inspector General, who has been investigating the use of force by a West Hartford Police officer on Aug. 8, 2023, issued a report on Dec. 19, 2024.

By Ronni Newton

Connecticut Inspector General Robert Devlin on Dec. 19, 2024 issued a final report on the deadly use of force by West Hartford Police Ofc. Andrew Teeter in an incident that occurred on Aug. 8, 2023, finding that the use of force that resulted in the death of 34-year-old Mike Alexander-Garcia “to be objectively reasonable and justified.”

Just days after the 2023 incident, Devlin had issued a preliminary report as required by the state under the police accountability act. That report included body camera and dashboard camera videos, which are graphic and may be disturbing to viewers.

Devlin’s final report on Dec. 19, 2024, concludes that Teeter “used deadly force to defend himself and others from what he reasonably believed to be a threat of serious injury or death.” While there was no evidence that Alexander-Garcia was otherwise armed with a deadly weapon, Devlin concludes that his “extreme reckless operation” of a Toyota RAV4 – the vehicle he was in when he was shot – “essentially turned that vehicle into a deadly weapon.”

In the conclusion of his report, Devlin states, “Officer Teeter’s decision to deploy K9 Islay into the RAV4 to take Alexander-Garcia into custody was a less lethal option with a high probability of success. His decision to enter the RAV4 to affect the arrest Alexander-Garicia did not amount to officer-created jeopardy. Finally, his use of deadly force inside the RAV4 was a reasonable response to a legitimate threat of serious injury or death to himself and others posed by the chaotic and reckless actions of Alexander-Garcia.

“In sum, I find Officer Teeter’s use of deadly force to be justified under Connecticut law,” Devlin states, noting that the Office of Inspector General does not plan any further action.

In a statement released Thursday, Dec. 19, West Hartford Police Chief Vernon Riddick said, “Officer Teeter responded to a dangerous incident impacting innocent members of the public, involving the commission of multiple felonies, including attempted carjackings. We are saddened by Mr. Garcia’s loss of life and grateful that innocent victims were not injured. The Inspector General conducted a thorough and impartial investigation into the events related to this incident. The investigation determined that Officer Teeter’s use of force was justified. I appreciate Officer Teeter and all of our police officers for their commitment to public safety and the courage they exhibit daily in the line of duty.”

West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor also also provided a statement Thursday. “The loss of any life is a tragedy, and my heartfelt condolences go out to the family of Mr. Alexander-Garcia,” she said. “West Hartford remains deeply committed to the principles of police accountability, and I appreciate the thorough investigation conducted by the state Office of the Inspector General. We are relieved that Officer Teeter’s injuries were not more severe and that no one else was harmed. I am deeply grateful to Officer Teeter and to all the dedicated men and women of the West Hartford Police Department who selflessly risk their lives every day to protect and serve our community.”

West Hartford Corporation Counsel Dallas Dodge noted that while Thursday’s report addresses the deadly use of force from a criminal perspective, there remains a civil lawsuit pending in Connecticut Superior Court, Jacqueline Garcia, Administratrix of the Estate of Mike Alexander-Garcia, Jr. v. Town of West Hartford et al.

“The report of the Office of Inspector General details a highly dangerous situation caused by the violent criminal conduct of Mr. Alexander-Garcia, and the investigation concludes that the use of deadly force by our police officer was a reasonable response to a legitimate threat of serious injury or death to himself and others posed by the chaotic and reckless actions of Mr. Alexander-Garcia. The Town intends to vigorously defend itself and the police officer named in the plaintiff’s civil lawsuit,” Dodge said in a statement.

The complaint was filed on Aug. 7, 2024. We-Ha.com has reached out to the plaintiff’s attorney for comment, but has not yet received a response.

Use of Deadly Force Report of Inspector General Robert J. Devlin Jr.

The incident, which was reviewed throughly and analyzed in the Office of the Inspector General’s 42-page report released on Dec. 19, 2024, contained the following summary:

“The investigation establishes that, on August 8, 2023, Mike Alexander-Garcia was in the Town of West Hartford driving a stolen Hyundai Elantra. Using stop sticks, the police were able to flatten its tires, and the Hyundai collided with two vehicles at the intersection of New Britain Avenue and South Street. The Hyundai became disabled, and Alexander-Garcia abandoned the vehicle running east on New Britain Avenue. After unsuccessfully attempting to take possession of two occupied vehicles, he ran into a service garage for Town Fair Tire, 980 New Britain Avenue, West Hartford. Inside one of the service bays was a Toyota RAV4 with the keys in the ignition. At about this moment, Officer Andrew Teeter entered the garage with his K9, Islay. Seeing that Alexander-Garcia was in the driver’s seat of the RAV4, Officer Teeter deployed Islay into the vehicle through the open front passenger window. The dog was ordered to bite Alexander-Garcia which it did. Officer Teeter also entered the vehicle. Ignoring the dog bites and Officer Teeter’s orders to stop and threats to shoot, Alexander-Garcia started the vehicle and backed out of the garage. He then drove out of the Town Fair Tire parking lot striking a police vehicle and a second vehicle traveling on New Britain Avenue.

“As Alexander-Garcia continued to drive recklessly onto New Britain Avenue, Officer Teeter discharged his weapon five times, striking Alexander-Garcia in the torso. The RAV4 crashed into a utility pole across the street from Town Fair Tire near the intersection of New Britain Avenue and Shield Street. West Hartford officers and EMS provided Alexander-Garcia medical aid on scene. He was later pronounced deceased at Hartford Hospital.”

In his statement to the Inspector General, Teeter details observing Alexander-Garcia running through the Town Fair Tire parking lot, and as he deployed K9 Islay, Alexander-Garcia had entered the driver’s seat of one of the vehicles in a bay and an employee at the passenger window was interacting with him.

In his statement, Teeter said, “I then deployed K9 Islay into the vehicle through the open front passenger window and instructed her to bite the subject and hold him so I could take the subject into custody. While standing outside of the vehicle but leaning in, I now observed that the vehicle had keys in the ignition. I observed that despite the subject being bit by K9 Islay, he was still attempting to put the vehicle in gear. If I attempted to get away from the vehicle, I feared I would be struck by the open door or caught up in the wheels and run over. I entered the vehicle for my own safety as well as to continue to affect the arrest of the subject. I gave multiple commands to the subject to ‘stop fighting, ‘stop it,’ and ‘don’t do it” but he made no effort to stop; nor did he make any comments to suggest compliance. I broadcast on my radio that we were in the vehicle and K9 Islay was on the subject.”

Teeter stated that he was facing backwards in the passenger seat, with the door still open, and with K9 Islay between him and Alexander-Garcia. He knew the vehicle was moving, but could not see where it was going. He felt the vehicle collide with objects, and Teeter said he continued to give warnings to Alexander-Garcia. Those warnings, which were also captured on body camera footage, included “I’m gonna [expletive] shoot you,” “I’m gonna shoot you,” “STOP,” “I’m gonna [expletive] shoot you,” “STOP,” “I’m gonna shoot you,” and in his statement Teeter said Alexander-Garcia did not change his behavior or attempt to stop or surrender.

“Based on the culmination of events thus far, the subjects complete disregard for my lawful commands and his continued behavior of non-compliance/active resistance, I feared for my safety. If the subject was allowed to continue to operate in a violent reckless manner on a busy and active roadway and pedestrian area, there was a high likelihood of serious injury or death to myself, K9 Islay, and the public. Based on the totality of circumstances, and after numerous warnings, I drew my department issued service weapon and discharged several shots at the subject,” Teeter’s statement reads.

He said that the vehicle was still in motion once Alexander-Garcia stopped resisting arrest, and although Teeter said he attempted to steer the vehicle, it crashed violently into a the utility pole and electric box, throwing Teeter backwards into the window. K9 Islay was not injured, but the report indicates that Teeter suffered “two damaged discs in his neck, a broken rib, bruising and lacerations on the back of his head, lacerations on the top of his head, bruising around the left eye, a burn mark on the inside of his right elbow, lacerations to his right elbow, along with nerve and sensory issues to his right elbow and hand.”

The autopsy indicated Alexander-Garcia was shot five times, and lists the cause of death as “gunshot wounds of torso.”

Additional details

The Inspector General’s report details interviews with responding officers, includes sworn statements from police as well as statements from witnesses, and cites and links to digital evidence from body-worn and dashboard camera recordings as well as camera recordings from businesses in the area.

Some of the key details include an interview with Ofc. Angelina Piccirillo, who responded to the area of New Britain Avenue near South Street to assist other officers who were tracking the Hyundai Elantra that had been reported stolen from Waterbury, and which had been spotted on New Britain Avenue near Westfarms, traveling eastbound, at 4:53 p.m. As Piccirillo was heading to the area, West Hartford Police Ofc. Michael Rousseau had already successfully deployed stop sticks near the former Puritan building at 1061 New Britain Avenue, and several of the Hyundai’s tires were flattened.

After the Hyundai crashed into one or more vehicles at the intersection of South Street and New Britain Avenue, the driver (Alexander-Garcia) and passenger Lyle Solsbury fled on foot. Rousseau apprehended and arrested Solsbury, 47, who had a lengthy criminal history and who, according to online court documents, is currently in jail on burglary and other charges.

The Inspector General’s report indicated that Piccirillo arrived at the scene when Teeter and K9 Islay had already located Alexander-Garcia at Town Fair Tire at 980 New Britain Avenue, and were in a blue Toyota RAV4 that had been being worked on in one of the garage bays. She said she observed the RAV4 reverse quickly out of the garage bay. Alexander-Garcia was driving, the report indicates, and the passenger door was still open with Teeter and K9 Islay inside.

Piccirillo attempted to use a stop stick to disable the RAV4, and investigation report states that she “observed said vehicle then begin recklessly accelerating forward towards where I was located, which was the opening between Officer A. Teeter’s marked K9 Police vehicle and the garage building. During this time, the vehicle struck/sideswiped Officer A. Teeter’s K9 police vehicle, a tree, and a stack of individual tires. As the vehicle continued to quickly accelerate through this tight area, I attempted to deploy a single ‘stop stick,’ but was unsuccessful. The vehicle then continued accelerating out of the business parking lot and westbound onto New Britain Avenue. At this time, I began running on foot towards the vehicle occupied by the suspect, Officer A. Teeter, and K9 Islay. Of note, the traffic flow was heavy on New Britain Avenue.”

She saw the RAV4 strike a westbound vehicle on New Britain Avenue, heard the shots, and saw the RAV4 strike a utility box on a telephone pole in front of 983 New Britain Avenue and come to a stop. Piccirillo said when she got to the RAV4, she observed Teeter with his back to the windshield in the passenger compartment and K9 Islay in the back seat, both covered in blood. The suspect was in the driver’s seat.

The report includes details of interviews with six different witnesses who were not police officers, including a district manager for Pep Boys at 1000 New Britain Avenue who was sitting in his vehicle when Alexander-Garcia jumped in and tried to carjack him. The Pep Boys manager successfully resisted Alexander-Garcia’s attempt, and also managed to call 911.

The Inspector General’s review also included consultation with a K9 expert, retired police sergeant Terry Anderson, who concluded that Teeter’s deployment of K9 Islay was “reasonable and the most efficient/effective less lethal force option.”

Although Alexander-Garcia pleaded with Teeter to stop the dog, Anderson said he “made no effort to surrender and continued his reckless actions while relentlessly trying to escape.”

Anderson also was asked to comment on Teeter’s further actions, and stated that those actions were “objectively reasonable” after Alexander-Garcia continued to fight through K9 Islay’s bite, with complete disregard to his own life or the lives of others.

“In my professional opinion, Officer Teeter followed the WHPD Use of Deadly Force Policy. From my training and experience as an officer and supervisor in high-stress incidents, Officer Teeter clearly recognized the imminent threat Alexander-Garcia posed and placed himself in a dangerous situation to prevent Alexander-Garcia from escaping or seriously injuring or killing another,” Anderson said.

According to the report, Solsbury and Alexander-Garcia both were smoking crack cocaine in the car, and police seized a crack pipe and improvised smoking device from the Hyundai, the report states. The toxicology report, also cited in Devlin’s report, was positive for cocaine.

Reports from the West Hartford Police Department’s Accident Reconstruction Team, Connecticut State Police Western District Major Crime Squad (which provided the drone photo below), were also cited in the Inspector General’s report.

Teeter, who was named American Legion Officer of the Year in 2018, has been part of the West Hartford Police Department’s K-9 team since being paired with K-9 Islay in 2019.

The complete report from Inspector General Robert Devlin can be found here, or below as a PDF.

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