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East Hartford police released body-camera footage Tuesday, June 3, showing the final moments before the Hartford teen’s death. Authorities have not released his name.
The incident began around 5 a.m. Sunday at the AAA Diner on Main Street in East Hartford. According to police, four people ate at the popular 24-hour restaurant and ran off without paying a $115 bill.
An officer spotted the group entering an Uber and pulled the vehicle over near the intersection of Orchard and Main Streets. That’s where the body-camera video begins.
The teenager appears calm and respectful on camera. He agrees to pay the bill when one officer says they’ll "call it a day" if he does. But the encounter takes a tragic turn when officers attempt to pat him down before escorting him back to the restaurant.
The teen tries to call his mother and hands the phone to one of the two officers at the scene, footage shows. It’s unclear if she ever answers.
When the second officer asks him to turn around and put his hands behind his back, the teen bolts.
He sprints down Orchard Street and turns onto Main Street, passing Bailey Medical Equipment and Supplies. A gunshot rings out seconds later, just after he disappears from view of the officer's camera.
“Shots fired!” the officer shouts, though the gunshot is inaudible on the recording.
The officer finds the teen on the sidewalk, screaming in pain with a gunshot wound to the leg.
Investigators believe the teenager accidentally shot himself during the chase. Bodycam footage confirms the officer did not draw his firearm until after he screamed out.
Paramedics rushed the teen to St. Francis Hospital, where he died during emergency surgery, police said.
The firearm was later traced to someone in South Windsor, authorities said. It’s unclear how the teen got it.
East Hartford police are asking anyone with information about the shooting to contact Detective Patrick Sullivan at 860-528-4401 or psullivan@easthartfordct.gov.
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