(Hartford, CT) - Sharmese L. Walcott, Hartford Judicial District State’s Attorney, today announced that Jose Cajigas, age 35, of Hartford, was sentenced by the Honorable Nuala E. Droney on January 9, 2026, to serve 35 years in prison and five years of special parole for the 2021 attempted murder of a Hartford police officer.
A Superior Court jury in Hartford on October 3, 2025 found Cajigas guilty of Attempted Murder, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes §§ 53a-49(a)(2) and 53a-54a, Assault on Public Safety Personnel, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-167c and Criminal Possession of a Firearm, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-217(a)(1).
According to evidence introduced during the court trial, a Hartford police officer on patrol on Main Street on October 26, 2021, observed a man, later identified as Jose Cajigas, walking with an orange umbrella toward her parked police cruiser. Cajigas paced in front of the vehicle and then approached the driver's side of the cruiser. The officer notified dispatch and requested backup before verbally engaging with Cajigas. While trying to determine if he needed medical assistance, the officer stated that Cajigas moved away from her vehicle for a few seconds before reengaging in conversation. When the officer asked Cajigas if he had been drinking, there was a sudden change in his demeanor, and he replied that he was intoxicated and might need assistance. The officer, still seated in her vehicle, instructed Cajigas to sit on the hood of her vehicle at which time she attempted to utilize her police radio to request an ambulance. As the officer motioned to utilize the radio, the officer heard a "bang" followed by her cruiser's operator's side door window shattering. The officer, startled by the shattered glass, and believing Cajigas threw an item at her, immediately drove away and alerted dispatch and responding officers about what had just occurred. The officer immediately circled back to the incident location where she observed Cajigas fleeing toward a cemetery. Officers arrived at the cemetery, established a perimeter, and within minutes, had located and detained Cajigas without incident. In the immediate vicinity of where Cajigas was apprehended, officers found the orange umbrella and a .22 caliber Jennings firearm. The firearm remained loaded and was secured on scene for investigators to retrieve. During the canvass of the parking lot on Main Street where the cruiser had been parked, one .22 caliber spent shell casing was located. Upon inspection of the officer's damaged vehicle, it was determined that the officer had been fired upon while seated inside her vehicle. The window had been shattered, and a bullet projectile, consistent with a small caliber firearm, was located inside of the vehicle.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorney Alexandra Arroyo, Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Brett J. Salafia, Inspectors Joseph Buyak and Emory Hightower, and Paralegal Specialists Kelly Randall and Lakisha Malave.
State's Attorney Walcott expresses appreciation to the men and women who put their life on the line to protect the public’s safety.
“The criminal acts committed against this Officer are detestable and have no place in our community,” State’s Attorney Walcott said. “This sentence, that includes a lengthy period of incarceration followed by a period of community-based monitoring, is a clear signal of the intolerance for the defendant's actions.”