A man fleeing a motel room was shot by police Friday morning, and the use of force is being investigated by the Western District Major Crimes Squad.

By Ronni Newton

A man who West Hartford Police were trying to take into custody on an active felony arrest warrant for armed robbery was shot after fleeing a motel room Friday morning.

The man who was the subject of the arrest warrant, 24-year-old Kenneth Strothers, was at the Flamingo Inn at 1601 North Broad St. in Meriden, and West Hartford Police had requested the assistance of Meriden Police in serving the warrant.

According to a press release issued by Meriden Police, at approximately 8:50 a.m. Friday, while police were establishing a perimeter prior to making the arrest, Strothers fled on foot from a room.

“A foot pursuit ensued involving officers from both the West Hartford Police Department and the Meriden Police Department. After a brief foot pursuit, a confrontation occurred resulting in [Strothers] being shot. A firearm was recovered from the scene,” Meriden Police said in the release.

Strothers was taken into custody and transported to an area hospital for treatment. Details about his condition were not provided.

In accordance with protocol involving a police shooting, state police have been called in to investigate the incident.

No information was available about whether it was West Hartford or Meriden officers who shot Strothers.

West Hartford Police directed all inquiries to state police.

State police released the following statement Friday: “At the request of the New Haven State’s Attorney Bob Sage, the Connecticut State Police – Western District Major Crimes Squad (WDMCS) detectives have been requested to respond to the scene of an active investigation in the area of the Flamingo Inn in the City of Meriden.”

According to online court records, Strothers has multiple previous convictions and has been sentenced on charges that include weapons violations, robbery, and burglary. He also has multiple probation violations, and was currently out on bond and due in court on March 15 on charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery.

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