Police found justified in killing of knife-wielding man
By DAVE COLLINSDecember 18, 2020 GMT
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) A Connecticut police officer who shot a knife-wielding man to death in January was justified in using deadly force, but police agencies should take steps to improve how they deal with mentally ill people, a prosecutor said in a report released Friday.
Ansonia police Officer Brendon Nelson opened fire on 30-year-old Michael Gregory in the apartment of Gregory’s girlfriend on Jan. 2. At the time, Gregory was charging with a knife at three officers after they had repeatedly ordered him to drop the knife and Nelson had tried to subdue him with a stun gun, which had no effect. The events were recorded by officers’ body cameras .
Her husband had tried to rape her and threatened to kill her.
âI had the hammer so I could easily grab it if anything happened at night,â she said. âIt got to the point that I was scared for my life.â
Ijomah, a survivor who was able to free herself from years of domestic abuse in 2013, is one of the thousands of women in the state who found themselves in an abusive relationship â one where control, manipulation, and oftentimes violence is at the center.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN A PANDEMIC
WHAT: Police, prosecutors and advocates say that while domestic violence calls during the pandemic appear to remain at similar levels to past years, the intensity of violence has grown.