Former Hartford Cop Charged In Feb. 27 Fatal Shooting: State
The inspector general said Magnano fired nine times and ruled the deadly force was not legally justified, leading to a first-degree manslaughter charge.
- On Monday, former Hartford police officer Joseph Magnano was charged with first-degree manslaughter in the February 27 shooting death of 55-year-old Steven Jones and released on $50,000 bond.
- Connecticut Inspector General Eliot Prescott's report concluded the shooting was not justified after Magnano arrived at the Blue Hills Avenue scene where three officers had spent five minutes attempting to de-escalate Jones' mental health crisis.
- Bodycam footage shows Magnano fired nine shots at Jones within less than 30 seconds of arriving. Magnano claimed, "I believed Jones had the intention to harm me, another officer or a nearby citizen."
- Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam, who previously fired Magnano, called the charges a "critical, independent step" toward accountability; family attorney Ben Crump stated the charge reflects what the family "has known all along, that what happened to Stevie was not justified."
- Magnano is expected to appear in Hartford Superior Court on June 5. This marks only the second time the Inspector General's office has prosecuted an officer for an on-duty killing, fueling community demands for the proposed Steven Jones Law.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Former Hartford police officer charged with manslaughter in fatal shooting of Stevie Jones
Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam. (Tyler Russell/Connecticut Public via Getty Images) (HARTFORD, Conn.) — Former Hartford police officer Joseph Magnano was charged with first-degree manslaughter in connection to the February 27, 2026 fatal shooting of Steven “Stevie” Jones. The charge and evidence supporting it was laid out in the Connecticut state inspector general’s report, which was released on Monday, and comes after Hartford Mayor Arunan A…
Hartford police officer charged in fatal shooting of Steven Jones
A Hartford police officer was charged with manslaughter on Monday in the fatal shooting of Steven Jones, a 55-year old Black man, who was suffering from a mental health crisis. The Connecticut Inspector General’s Office, which is responsible for reviewing every police shooting in the state, filed an arrest warrant for former officer Joseph Magnano after a roughly two-and-a-half-month investigation into the shooting. Magnano, who was fired from h…
Hartford officer charged with manslaughter in fatal shooting of man during mental health crisis
Joseph Magnano has been charged with first-degree manslaughter in connection with the officer-involved shooting in February that resulted in the death of Steven Jones in Hartford.
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