Connecticut authorities have released disturbing police body camera video following a fatal officer-involved shooting in Meriden, an encounter that ended with two men dead. The footage captures the moments before an officer opened fire, and it is now at the center of a state investigation into whether the use of deadly force was justified under the law.
The video shows a violent scene playing out in the open. Officials say a man was beating another man with a baseball bat, in broad daylight, outside of a home in Meriden. The attack was still underway as the responding officer arrived and confronted the situation, with the person on the ground being struck as the officer moved in.
On the body camera, the officer, identified as Anthony Offiaeli, is heard repeatedly ordering the man to stop. Put the bat down, the officer shouts, commanding him again and again to drop the weapon. Despite those orders, authorities say the man did not comply and continued the assault rather than putting the bat down as directed.
When the bat was not dropped, the officer resorted to his firearm. Authorities say Offiaeli then fired several shots, ultimately killing the man wielding the bat. The person was identified as 38-year-old Robert Lee Jenkins III, who was struck by the gunfire and died as a result of the officer's response to the ongoing attack.
The violence claimed a second life as well. Officials say the man who was being beaten with the baseball bat also died, meaning the single encounter left two people dead. What began as one man attacking another in front of a home ended with both the attacker and his victim losing their lives at the scene.
The release of the footage is tied to an ongoing review. The state Office of Inspector General put out the body camera video as part of its examination of the shooting, and both the Office of Inspector General and Connecticut State Police say they are still investigating exactly what happened and whether the officer's actions were justified.