In the wake of last week's fatal shooting of teenager Jayson Negron by Bridgeport Police, the ACLU of Connecticut, and members of the state legislature’s Black and Puerto Rican Caucus, are calling for the passage of a bill to increase police accountability.
ACLU-CT Executive Director David Maguire says, “It is truly unfortunate that it has taken the death of a 15-year old to reactivate this conversation at the legislature. There has been a vocal group of legislators trying to move forward on this legislation for some time, but they were not getting any traction until this latest death.”
Outcry over the shooting has grown since a video surfaced on social media showing Negron handcuffed and placed faced down on the street after he had been shot. According to Bridgeport Police, Negron died instantly. His body lay uncovered in the street for about six hours.
The video, however, shows Negron's head in one position, and when the camera cuts back to him four seconds later, his head had changed direction.
The bill would change how police shootings and use of force are investigated. It would require all cases to be sent to an out-of-jurisdiction prosecutor and also require an initial investigation to be processed within 15 days.
This report contains information from CRN.