Bodycam: Suspect Jumps in Back Seat, Pulls Gun on Conn. Police

By Christine Dempsey

Source Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.

HARTFORD, CT — The man shot by police Saturday night had a gun in his hand and refused to drop it, according to a preliminary report on the shooting.

Alexander Garay, 48, remains in the hospital in critical but stable condition, according to the report by Inspector General Robert J. Devlin Jr.

He was not well enough to travel to state Superior Court in Hartford for his scheduled arraignment on Tuesday, court staff said.

Body camera footage released Tuesday shows Garay in a car and police yelling at him to show his hands. They used a stun gun on him, which didn't stop him from moving around the car, the video shows.

He ended up in the back seat and an officer reported that he had a gun in his hand, the video shows. He did not drop the gun as ordered, and the officer fired twice, the video shows.

Hartford police on Tuesday afternoon also announced their charges for Garay, whose bond was set at $750,000. The charges include criminal possession of a pistol/revolver, possession of a controlled substance and interfering with an officer.

The shooting happened at Broad and West Preston streets, not far from Garay's home on Clarendon Street in the South End.

According to Devlin's report, police responded to a disturbance in the 700 block of Maple Avenue about 8:15 p.m. during which someone had a gun. The person was identified as Garay, who reportedly fled the scene.

Members of the Hartford Police Department's Street Crimes Unit spotted Garay driving away from the scene of the disturbance and followed it, police said. Garay crashed at Broad and West Preston streets, and Officers Gabrielle Arruda and Elvis Martinez approached and repeatedly ordered him to show his hands, according to police.

"Let me see your hands," Martinez said in the video, followed by Arruda yelling, "Hands!"

At one point, Garay briefly hung his hands out the window, but he quickly brought them back inside, the video shows. Arruda tried to shoot him with a stun gun, but it didn't appear to have any effect.

Garay repeatedly yelled, "No," "Get away from me" and "Leave me alone," after which he ended up in the back seat in a frenzy. The video shows an officer broke the window, and Garay continued scrambling around. He appeared to grab something black, the video shows.

Arruda yelled to Martinez that Garay had a gun and warned Martinez, who was on the other side of the vehicle trying to gain control of Garay. Martinez got out of the way and Arruda fired two shots, the video shows.

Police said they found a loaded Taurus Arms 9mm pistol near Garay when he was removed from the car.

Devlin said he is working with the Connecticut State Police Central District Major Crime Squad of the Connecticut State Police, the Hartford Police Department, and the Hartford State's Attorney's Office on the investigation of the shooting.

Devlin will release a full report at a later date.

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