Investigation finds Stratford police officers justified in fatal shooting

The state’s inspector general has found that Stratford police officers were justified in the fatal shooting of Christopher W. Hagans last February.

In a new report published Tuesday, Inspector General Robert J. Devlin Jr. said his investigation of Hagans’ death determined that officers’ decision to fire their weapons at Hagans was justified, given the circumstances of the shooting: Hagans was resisting arrest, was carrying a loaded handgun, fired his weapon at least once, was headed toward a civilian’s vehicle and was pointing his gun at officers, the report said.

“Hagans’ conduct presented an imminent and grave threat of serious physical injury or death to the officers and the civilian driver of the nearby vehicle,” Devlin wrote.

On Feb. 5, 2021, a woman had reported to Naugatuck police that Christopher Hagans, whom she had been in a relationship with, had unlawfully entered her home and threatened her, her neighbor and her teenage son. A warrant was issued charging Hagans with strangulation and disorderly conduct for an incident in August 2020, along with home invasion and three counts of threatening for an incident on Jan. 6, 2021, the report said.

Naugatuck police contacted police in Stratford, who responded to Hagans’ home and followed his gray Dodge Charger. Stratford police had information alleging that Hagans was “armed and dangerous,” that he was possibly a Blood gang member, was a user of PCP and had a history of resisting arrest, according to the report.

Officers boxed Hagans’ vehicle in at the intersection of Main Street and Main Street Putney in Stratford as he was stopped behind another vehicle at a red light.

Hagans allegedly refused to comply with officers’ repeated demands to show his hands and at least one officer reported seeing him reach for a gun in his vehicle, the report said. Officers reportedly fired their weapons at the Charger, which Hagans then drove into a police vehicle.

The Charger then went into a snow-covered embankment and got stuck, at which point Hagans allegedly ran from the vehicle while pointing his gun at officers. Officers said they believed he was going to fire his weapon in the residential area and that he might try to carjack the driver of a nearby Honda CR-V that he was headed toward, according to the report.

Officers opened fire again and Hagans was struck and fell to the ground unresponsive, the report said.

Hagan fired one bullet during the altercation with police, according to forensic evidence.

He was struck by five bullets, according to an autopsy. A medical examiner ruled that Hagans died from gunshot wounds to his head, torso and left upper and lower extremities. His death was ruled a homicide, according to the report.

Hagans’ wife, Lori Hagans, told investigators that Hagans had recently been released from jail and a halfway house. He told her that “no matter what he would not go back to jail,” the report said.

According to the report, one officer, one detective and a lieutenant from the Stratford Police Department fired their service weapons at Hagans. They were each interviewed as part of the investigation.

Officer Stephen Santoro reported seeing a dark colored semi-automatic pistol in Hagans’ right hand.

“I was highly concerned for the safety of myself, other officers on scene, and the general public in the surrounding high-traffic area,” Santoro reported. Santoro said he was concerned that Hagans was not complying despite being confronted by a uniformed officer and being surrounded by clearly marked police vehicles with lights and sirens.

“I believed the operator’s intentions were hostile and dangerous,” he said.

Santoro said he was also concerned that they were in a residential area and that “if the male fired a round toward police, the lives of residents of these homes were also in danger.”

“I concluded that deadly force was the only appropriate tactic remaining to prevent death or serious injury of myself, fellow officers, and the public,” he said.

Detective Glynn McGlynn said he fired his weapon because he believed Hagans was going to shoot Santoro, based on his training and experience.

Lt. Robert Rosenbaum shared concerns that Hagans was going to carjack a nearby SUV, which was struck by gunfire during the incident, “and take hostage or harm its occupant or occupants so he could get away.”

The 57-page report includes interviews with all officers who fired their weapons, two officers who were at the scene but did not discharge their weapons, two witnesses and Hagans’ wife, along with forensic evidence, photos from the scene of the shooting, medical examiners’ findings, video footage from Hagans’ wife’s Ring doorbell camera and video footage from police vehicle dashboard cameras.

According to state law, a law enforcement officer’s use of deadly force is justified if they can reasonably believe that such force is necessary to prevent an officer or a third party from the use or imminent use of deadly force. Devlin concluded the officers’ actions were justified.

“In sum, the officers’ use of deadly force was prompted by Hagans’ failure to show his hands, his possession of a gun as he desperately sought to avoid arrest, and his proximity to civilians who were at risk of being carjacked,” Devlin wrote in the report. The inspector general’s office said no further action will be taken on the matter.