“A phone call was definitely going to come. Always. I knew that,” Barbara Mankewich, of Shelton, said.
Mankewich was at her home on Sunday night when that call from police finally came through.
“They didn’t tell me anything. Just that there was a police chase and it ended in Ansonia, and he got out of the car and shot, so they fired back,” she said.
She said her son, 41-year-old Jonathan Bell, was the suspect shot and killed by police on Sunday night. Officials have yet to confirm the identity of the suspect.
Get Connecticut local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Connecticut newsletters.
“The drugs took him. I mean, that’s what took him really, not the police. The police were doing their job,” Mankewich said.
According to officials, Bridgeport police attempted a motor vehicle stop as part of an investigation into weapons and narcotics violations on Sunday.
“I had a friend coming over from Bridgeport yesterday to play dice, and as he’s coming up Route 8, he sees about 20 police cars chasing a car,” Mankewich said.
Local
Police said they tried to stop the vehicle in Bridgeport, but the driver took off up Route 8 North, eventually stopping along Division Street in Ansonia just after 5 p.m.
“If anybody else was hurt in this incident, we want to send our condolences,” Barbara’s sister Donna Sprague said.
Mankewich said she hadn’t spoken to her son in over a year.
“I’m just sorry that it had to end this way, but you know what, he’s in a better place. He’s not suffering anymore with needing drugs or needing everything. Our family can now rest in peace not worrying about him every day,” she said.
The Office of the Inspector General is leading the ongoing investigation.
