Recently released body camera footage captures a Connecticut police officer as he repeatedly demands that a man drop his baseball bat while the suspect relentlessly punches a man lying motionless on the ground.
This footage, shared by the Connecticut Office of the Inspector General, depicts a chilling event that occurred in Meriden on July 19, resulting in the deaths of two individuals, including 38-year-old Robert Lee Jenkins III. According to authorities, Jenkins was shot and killed by the responding officers during the incident.
Meriden Police Officer Anthony Offieri arrived at the scene at around 10 a.m. and found Jenkins attacking a man in the front yard with a baseball bat, as suggested by the preliminary report from the inspector general.
“Put the bat down!” the officer shouted multiple times while aiming his weapon at Jenkins, as seen in the body camera clip.
Following this, Officer Offieri called for backup and urged fellow officers to respond quickly.
As he approached the situation, Jenkins swung the bat downward several times, seemingly causing injury to the victim with each strike.
The officer discharged his weapon multiple times, but Jenkins persisted in assaulting the victim. Even after sustaining gunfire, he continued to swing the bat until he eventually collapsed.
Despite the officer’s commands to drop the bat four separate times before firing, Jenkins showed no signs of relenting.
Investigators later reported that Jenkins was treated at the scene and subsequently transferred to Hartford Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:30 p.m.
The victim, unfortunately, was declared dead at the location of the attack. His identity remains undisclosed, which aligns with Connecticut law that protects the identities of domestic violence victims.
An autopsy performed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner concluded that Jenkins succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds, with the manner of death classified as homicide.
In contrast, the victim died due to blunt force trauma to the head, also categorized as a homicide. As of now, results from toxicology tests and Jenkins’ death certificate are still pending.
In response to the incident, Meriden Police Chief Roberto Rosado remarked that the event serves as a stark reminder of the inherent dangers police officers face, assuring the public that the situation posed no ongoing threat.
The inquiry into this case is ongoing, involving the Connecticut Office of Inspector General, the Connecticut State Police Central District Major Crimes Unit, the Meriden Police Department, and the New Haven Judicial District State’s Attorney’s Office.
