Demands for action continue in Hamden after one of their police officers was involved in a shooting that injured a young woman in New Haven last month.
Hundreds turned out for a meeting Monday as town leaders took up a plan to hire an expert to oversee the investigation into the shooting.
The council leader admitted after hearing from the people here that this proposed resolution doesn’t cut it.
Now the hope is for a better and stronger response that many are calling for.
Community members spoke out before the Hamden Legislative Council. They believe the council’s response falls short after an officer from Hamden and Yale opened fired on a car in New Haven, hurting a woman inside last month.
“I don’t think anyone watching the video would disagree that something went horribly wrong,” said resident Rashanda McCollum.
McCollum says she’s concerned what the future looks like for her five-month-old son, Justice, and hopes the council takes the right steps.
Local
“In this case there were two young people sitting in a car listening to love songs moments before they were shot and I think it’s the grace of God they didn’t die. But to be honest, it could have been my son, 10 years from now, 20 years from now,” she said.
The council had proposed hiring an independent expert to look over the local review of the shooting.
But many feeling that, among other ideas, did not go far enough. Some are pushing for a fully independent investigation.
Some think another investigation is not needed now with both the town and state reviewing the issue.
Mayor Curt Balzano Leng said the town should look into the idea of creating a Citizens Review Board, which is something many tonight called for.
But the mayor says he’s not sure an independent investigation is the right step now, as the town has already taken other actions.
“We hired an outside, independent expert to come in and help. He’s an expert in excessive force and police policy and procedure,” Leng said.
The plan is to rework the resolution and bring it back for debate in two weeks.
The officer involved in that shooting remains on leave.
