Bodycam Shows Gunfight That Wounded 2 Conn. Officers, Killed Suspect
What to Know
- A Hartford police officer investigating a report of an armed man was wounded after the suspect fled in a vehicle, leading officers on a pursuit into Newington.
- The suspect, identified as Hector Perez, exchanged gunfire with pursuing officers after a foot chase, wounding a Hartford officer and a Rocky Hill officer before being fatally shot.
- Body camera and dashcam footage released by the Connecticut inspector general show officers pursuing Perez through heavy brush before the shooting.
The Connecticut office of the Inspector General on Wednesday released footage of the fatal encounter, after which a gun was found.
The suspect was identified by the inspector general's office as Hector Perez, 37. He died of gunshot wounds to the head, neck , torso and extremities, the report said. The two officers who survived gunshot wounds were Hartford police Diaz and Rocky Hill police Officer Jon Escobar. Escobar was shot in his face and on his arm, according to a fundraiser.
Inspector General Eliot D. Prescott released three videos from the shooting — two of them body-camera footage and one from a police vehicle’s dashboard camera. The body-camera footage show a hectic scene, with officers chasing Perez through heavy brush.
In Diaz’s footage, which is 1 minute and 10 seconds long and doesn’t include audio until a minute in, the officer got out of his cruiser and ran into tall grass after Perez. At one point, he and Escobar appeared to take Perez to the ground, but something caused Diaz to jump backward and fall.
About a minute into the video, a drop of what appears to be blood covered a portion of the camera lens. Diaz approached and shot at at Perez, the latter on the ground before the gunfire ended.
Diaz stopped firing at Perez before he turned away and shouted, “I’m hit,” as another officer called to cease fire. More than a dozen shots were fired.
Escobar’s video, which is 53 seconds long and has no audio, shows what appears to be him taking Perez to the ground before also jumping backward and landing on the ground. He then pulls his service pistol and activates its flashlight, and Perez can be seen running away before falling to the ground.
The dash-camera footage depicts officers as they followed Perez’s vehicle until he and one other person got out and ran away. Officers ran after them on foot and shouting can be heard before gunfire broke out. At least one officer cried out,"Shots fired, shots fired!"
According to the report, it all started shortly before 11:10 p.m. Friday, when Diaz and other members of the Hartford Police Department’s Street Crimes Unit were investigating a report of a man with a gun in the area of Fales Street and Sisson Avenue. Diaz encountered the suspect, later identified as Perez, who ran away, it said.
Diaz ran after him and tried to take him into custody and, during a brief struggle, “felt something hard in Perez’s waistband,” the report said. Perez broke free, got into a black Honda Accord Crosstour and drove away, it said.
Diaz reported on his police radio that the “guy tried to drag me with his car,” the report said, got into his patrol car and followed the Crosstour as it traveled through Hartford and continued south.
Suspect information was relayed to area towns, including Rocky Hill and Newington, and officers from those towns joined the chase, it said.
Around 11:30 p.m., Perez stopped the Honda on Webster Street, near Webster Court, in Newington, got out of the car and ran; a female passenger in the Crosstour, who has yet to be identified, also fled from the vehicle, the report said.
After a short foot pursuit, there was an exchange of gunfire between Perez, Diaz, fellow Hartford officer Jocelyn Andino and Officer Jonathan Escobar from the Rocky Hill Police Department, it said.
Escobar and Diaz were wounded by gunfire and taken to the hospital, and Perez, who also was shot, was pronounced dead at the scene, the report said. Both officers were released from the hospital on Saturday.
A small, semiautomatic pistol was recovered near Perez's body, it said.
In a social media post, Hartford police directed people who wished to donate to a fundraising page for Diaz on Fund the First.
"Alex is a devoted father of two young children. As he continues his recovery, funds raised are intended to help ease any financial burdens that may arise and allow Alex and his family to focus on his healing," the department said.
The post added that there is no expectation to donate. "Your messages, prayers and incredible outpouring of support have already meant more than words can express," the post added.
A fundraiser for Escobar said he will need future surgeries and is about to become a father for the first time.
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