Press Releases
04/29/2021
State Police Investigators Provide New Haven State's Attorney with Investigative Materials Related to the Shooting Death of Benicio Vasquez on Enfield Street in Hartford on January 6, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Hartford, CT) - Patrick J. Griffin, State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of New Haven, announced today that the Western District Major Crime Squad (WDMCS) of the Connecticut State Police provided the New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office with extensive materials related to their investigation into the officer-involved use of deadly force that occurred on January 6, 2021 in Hartford.
On January 8, 2021, State’s Attorney Griffin provided a preliminary status report regarding the investigation of the use of deadly force by members of a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) led multi-agency task force in the vicinity of 96 Enfield Street in Hartford at approximately 9:17 a.m. on Wednesday, January 6, 2021. State’s Attorney Griffin’s preliminary status report indicated Benicio Vasquez, 35, of Hartford, died of multiple gunshot wounds following an apparent exchange of gunfire with task force members.
State’s Attorney Griffin and his staff will carefully review the materials provided today by the Connecticut State Police and assess whether further investigation is necessary before a determination is made regarding the lawfulness of the task force officers’ use of force.
State’s Attorney Griffin is grateful to the WDMCS for their commitment to this complex multi-agency investigation and thanks them for their diligence and professionalism displayed throughout. State’s Attorney Griffin would also like to thank Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, members of the Hartford City Council, and Chief Jason Thody and the Hartford Police Department for their continued assistance and support of a thorough, objective, and transparent investigation into the facts and circumstances surrounding this tragic incident.