The man cops say shot a Hartford police officer early Wednesday morning was silent when he appeared in court on Thursday and the judge set his bail was set at $3.5 million.
But the same could not be said for more than a dozen of suspect Dwayne Powell’s friends who went to the arraignment. They criticized police and vowed to post his bail.
Powell, 26, of Hartford, was arrested early Wednesday morning after police were finishing up a motor vehicle stop at Manchester Street and Blue Hills Avenue.
They saw Powell walking and went to investigate, police said. There have been several burglaries in the area, so police wanted to see what Powell was doing.
When cops told him to stop, Powell ran and police chased him for about a block and a half, police said.
When the two officers caught up with Powell at Tower Avenue and Salisbury Street, he turned around and fired a gun, shooting the Officer Michael Bodner, 28, twice -- once in the arm and once in the leg, police said.
Powell was caught minutes later and taken into custody and charged with attempted murder and assault on a police officer.
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An acquaintance of Powell told NBC Connecticut that Powell said he never wanted to go back to jail and if police tried to arrest him again, there would be a problem.
Daryl Roberts, chief of the Hartford Police Department, said he is pleased with how his officers handled themselves and they did a phenomenal job in apprehending the suspect.
Bodner, who has been on the job for less than a year, underwent exploratory surgery early Wednesday at St. Francis Hospital. He is a 1999 graduate of Glastonbury High School and served in the Marine Corps as a military police officer.
Powell was evaluated at the hospital as a precaution, police said. He was not shot.
Police said they did recover a weapon.
