Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Hartford Mayor Fires Officer Who Shot Steven Jones Nine Times

The decision signals a push for higher standards in police responses to mental-health crises.

Overview

  • Mayor Arunan Arulampalam terminated Officer Joseph Magnano’s employment Friday, citing performance concerns after reviewing body-camera footage.
  • Police had responded on February 27 to a 911 call from Jones’ family about an acute mental-health crisis, and Jones died March 3 after Magnano shot him nine times.
  • The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, and four body-camera videos released March 6 showed Jones holding a knife and walking slowly as officers told him to drop it.
  • At Thursday’s funeral in Bloomfield, attorney Ben Crump said he is exploring legal options for the family, and Rev. Al Sharpton urged accountability.
  • A state inspector general’s investigation remains open, while the Hartford Police Union has called the shooting “100% justified,” underscoring a wider rift over force in a mental-health crisis in a city that saw two fatal police shootings within eight days.