An officer who shot at a man in a Foxwoods Casino parking lot before he fell four levels in 2016 was justified, the state's attorney said on Friday.
The release from the state's attorney said the force Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Police Sergeant Kevin Leach used on the man "cannot be found to have been the proximate cause of the death."
The shooting happened in September 2016 when the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal police were told that a man with an arrest warrant, Michael Goodale, was staying at Foxwoods Casino.
The 23-year-old from Groton had a warrant for violation of probation, police said.
Police found Goodale on the fourth floor of the Foxwoods parking garage and when Leach tried to take him into custody, the suspect took out a handgun. Goodale refused to drop the weapon when asked, according to police.
Goodale stood on top of the cement wall in the parking garage and pointed the gun in Leach's direction. The sergeant shot at Goodale before he fell off the fourth floor of the parking garage, police said.
A gunshot wound was found on Goodale's left foot but his death was caused by the height of the fall, an autopsy report by Dr. Gregory Vincent at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner revealed.
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Leach's use of deadly force was justified because Goodale continually pointed the handgun at officers and didn't drop the weapon after being asked to several times, according to New London State's Attorney Michael Regan.
After looking at the autopsy, it shows Leach's physical force wasn't the main cause of his death because he died from the 81-foot drop to the ground, according to Regan.
According to the state's attorney, no further action will be taken for this incident.
