The investigation into the use of deadly force resulting in the death of John J. Carras on September 5, 2019, in East Hartford has been assigned to the Office of the State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Windham in accordance with state statutes, which provide that such investigations be assigned to a State’s Attorney from a judicial district other than that where the incident occurred. (East Hartford is in the Judicial District of Hartford). The Connecticut State Police Eastern District Major Crime Squad is assisting me with this investigation.
We extend our condolences to the victims of this tragic incident and their loved ones. The State’s Attorney’s Office will be in contact with the surviving victims at the appropriate time to assure that they are kept aware of the progress of the investigation, the purpose of which by statute is to determine if the use of force was appropriate under the law.
It is my intent to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation. My office has received requests from the news media for access to any police body camera or cruiser camera recordings. The investigation to date indicates that neither the officers involved nor the police vehicles were equipped with such devices and as such there is no footage to release. In determining what information will be released and when, I will balance the needs of the investigation with the public’s right to know what happened. It is my intention to complete this investigation and determination as soon as possible, but it also must be noted that these are painstakingly thorough investigations that do require time so it is not possible at this time to give any estimate of when the case will be concluded.
It is my intention to further update the public in the near future regarding the release of any further material. Future updates will occur when deemed appropriate due to the investigation and in the public interest.