72°
Michael Brown, of Bridgeport, died following an altercation with police on June 5, 2024, in the parking lot of Big Y at 150 Boston Post Road in Milford, according to a report from the Connecticut Office of the Inspector General.
The investigation cleared the officers of wrongdoing in the case.
Employees at Stop & Shop, located at 855 Bridgeport Ave., contacted Milford police after spotting Brown attempting to steal nearly $650 worth of cleaning supplies, the report said. Authorities described Brown as a "well-known shoplifter" who had multiple outstanding warrants for his arrest.
Brown left the store without taking the items after realizing he was being watched by an employee, then drove to the nearby Big Y parking lot, where police located him.
He repeatedly ignored officers' commands to exit his Ford Focus, prompting them to forcibly remove him, the report stated. During the struggle, Brown told officers he had a broken leg and couldn’t breathe.
After securing him in handcuffs, officers sat him upright and gave him water, then called paramedics to transport him to a hospital for evaluation. Brown was able to stand and walk to the stretcher, authorities said.
While en route to Yale New Haven Hospital’s Milford Campus, Brown suffered a heart attack and died shortly after arriving, according to the report.
An autopsy concluded that Brown’s death was caused by a heart attack resulting from the struggle, but it was compounded by his medical conditions and drug use.
The medical examiner determined that Brown suffered from “cardiac arrhythmia, hypertension, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease,” and his toxicology screen was positive for fentanyl and oxycodone, the inspector general’s report said.
The five Milford police officers involved in the incident were cleared of any wrongdoing.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Milford and receive free news updates.
