On a July morning in Meriden, Connecticut, a quiet residential lawn on Sagamore Road became the scene of a violence that ended two lives within hours of each other. A police officer arrived to find one man striking another with a baseball bat, and in the seconds that followed, the officer's commands, his gunfire, and the attacker's final blows unfolded on camera. The footage now released by the state's inspector general lays out a sequence that is painfully clear in its mechanics and still silent on its origins, leaving the question of why two men came to this point for others to answer. What
Bodycam Shows Meriden Officer Ordering Bat-Wielding Man to Drop Weapon Before Fatal Shooting
Two men died: Robert Lee Jenkins III, 38, shot by police, and an unnamed victim killed by blunt force head injuries in a family violence case.
Both men would be on their way to death.
On a July morning in Meriden, Connecticut, a quiet residential lawn on Sagamore Road became the scene of a violence that ended two lives within hours of each other. A police officer arrived to find one man striking another with a baseball bat, and in the seconds that followed, the officer's commands, his gunfire, and the attacker's final blows unfolded on camera. The footage now released by the state's inspector general lays out a sequence that is painfully clear in its mechanics and still silent on its origins, leaving the question of why two men came to this point for others to answer. What remains is the human arithmetic of a family tragedy and the weight carried by the officer who had only moments to act.
Shortly after 10 a.m. on July 19, Meriden Officer Anthony Offiaeli pulled up to a house on Sagamore Road and saw a man on the front lawn swinging a baseball bat at another man who lay motionless in the grass. The attacker, 38-year-old Robert Lee Jenkins III, was about to become the center of a fatal confrontation that would end both men's lives.
Body camera footage, released this week by the Connecticut Office of Inspector General, shows Offiaeli aiming his weapon and shouting for Jenkins to drop the bat, repeating the order four times. As the officer advanced, Jenkins brought the bat down again and again. Offiaeli opened fire, and even after multiple shots Jenkins kept striking until he finally collapsed. He was taken to Hartford Hospital, where he died that night. The medical examiner ruled his death a homicide from gunshot wounds to the torso.
The man on the lawn was pronounced dead at the scene. Connecticut law keeps his identity private in family violence cases, and the medical examiner ruled his death from blunt force head injuries a homicide. Nothing released so far explains what drove the attack. Meriden's police chief said the incident showed how real the dangers of police work are and that no threat remained to the public. Toxicology results and Jenkins' death certificate are still pending, and they may add detail to a picture that remains incomplete.
Shortly after 10 a.m. on July 19, Meriden Officer Anthony Offiaeli pulled up to a house on Sagamore Road in Meriden, Connecticut, and found a man on the front lawn swinging a baseball bat at another man who lay motionless on the grass. The man with the bat was 38-year-old Robert Lee Jenkins III. Within moments, both men would be on their way to death.
The account comes from body camera footage released this week by the Connecticut Office of Inspector General, along with the office's preliminary report. The footage shows Offiaeli pointing his firearm at Jenkins and shouting repeatedly for him to put the bat down. The report says he gave that order four times. He also radioed for backup, urging other officers to "step it up."
As the officer advanced, the footage shows Jenkins bringing the bat down four times, each swing appearing to land on the victim on the ground. Offiaeli then opened fire. According to the account of the footage, Jenkins kept striking the victim even after multiple shots. The officer fired additional rounds, and Jenkins began to slow, though he kept swinging until he collapsed.
Jenkins received medical treatment at the scene and was taken to Hartford Hospital. He died there at 11:30 p.m., investigators said. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that he died from multiple gunshot wounds to the torso and ruled the manner of death a homicide.
The man on the lawn was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity has not been released, because Connecticut law bars disclosing the identities of victims in family violence cases. The medical examiner found his cause of death was blunt force head injuries, and that manner of death was also ruled a homicide. The report's description of the case as one of family violence is the only indication of the relationship between the two men; nothing in the released material explains what led to the attack.
In an initial statement after the shooting, Meriden Police Chief Roberto Rosado said the incident "reminds us that the dangers of Police work is real." He said there was no ongoing threat to the public.
The findings so far are preliminary. As of Tuesday, toxicology results and Jenkins' death certificate were still pending, and those may add detail to the picture the inspector general's office has begun to assemble.
Notable Quotes
The incident reminds us that the dangers of police work is real, and there was no ongoing threat to the public.— Meriden Police Chief Roberto Rosado
Want the full story?
Read the original at Fox News ↗
Crime & Justice