Cop arrested after mistakenly shooting at man instead of using his stun gun

Hartford, CT - The Office of the Inspector General found that a Windsor police officer who mistakenly shot his gun at a suspect instead of using his stun gun was not justified in his actions.

The incident took place just after 8:20 p.m. on Jan. 30 near the entrance to Keney Park.

Officer Brandon Thomas was investigating a suspicious vehicle at the Tiger Mart gas station at 160 Windsor Avenue. A 2008 Jeep Liberty Sport was parked at the gas station and had a license plate that came back to another vehicle, according to the inspector general.

Thomas also saw a bag of marijuana in the vehicle, according to Windsor police.

Two people came out of the convenience store and walked towards the SUV. When Thomas questioned them about it, one of the people took off running across the street and into Keney Park.

Thomas chased the suspect and yelled, "Stop running, or I'm going to ****ing tase you." According to the inspector general, Thomas then pulled his actual firearm from its holster and fired one shot.

"Oh ****, I didn't mean to do that," Thomas said.

In the report, the inspector general said, although Thomas described firing his gun as an accident, "I do not think that it is accurate to describe the shooting in those terms."

"Officer Thomas' discharge of his firearm...is more properly considered an error or mistake. He mistook his firearm for his taser and fired it. He had the gun in his hand and pulled the trigger. He fully expected and intended for the item in his hand to deploy," the inspector general wrote in the report.

The incident was captured by Thomas' body-worn camera. The bullet did not hit the suspect, and he was eventually taken into custody.

While being arrested, the suspect accused Thomas of shooting at him, which Thomas denied and claimed he had only used his stun gun, the inspector general said.

The suspect was charged with interfering with police and possession of a controlled substance.

Thomas was placed on limited duty status pending the outcome of the investigation, according to police.

The inspector general has since found Thomas' use of deadly force to be unjustified.

Thomas was arrested by the Office of the Inspector General and is now facing charges including unlawful discharge of a firearm and reckless endangerment.

"The fact that he pulled out his firearm instead of his taser does not make the discharge an accident. The discharge was not accidental; it was an error. Officer Thomas bears responsibility for that error," the inspector general said.

Thomas was given taser training following the shooting. In one scenario, he was given instructions to run about 50 yards and then stand in front of an Axon Taser Target and deploy his taser, the report reads.

He ran the 50 yards and once he was in front of his target, instead of drawing his taser, he tried to draw his firearm, officials said. He was immediately notified of his mistake.

Officials said the matter will now be handled through the court process.

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