Ansonia

Man Killed in Officer-Involved Shooting in Ansonia Identified

Police said the man had a knife and ran toward the officers.

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Officers shot and killed a man who came at them with a knife after a domestic violence incident in Ansonia on Thursday night.

Authorities have identified the man killed in a police-involved shooting in Ansonia on Thursday night.

Connecticut State Police identified the man as 30-year-old Michael Gregory of Ansonia.

Ansonia Police Chief Andrew Cota said during a news conference on Friday morning that a woman arrived at the police department around 7:35 p.m. Thursday and said her boyfriend, who had become physically aggressive, was at the home in violation of a protective order that was issued in November.

Officers responded to the home to speak to Gregory and take him into custody for violating the protective order and they found him with a knife.   

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This is the scene of a the police-involved shooting in Ansonia.

Cota said the officers tried to get Gregory to drop the knife, and he refused, so they used a stun gun, but it didn't stop him and he ran toward officers with the knife.

“Officers made every attempt to create distance between themselves and the unwanted male,” Cota said.

An officer at the scene fired at least one gunshot and struck Gregory, police said.

Officers provided medical aid and transported Gregory to Griffin Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Cota said.

Gregory was the only person at the home. Police said the woman who filed the complaint had stayed at the police department.

According to State Police, Danbury State’s Attorney Steve Sedensky on Thursday asked detectives from the State Police - Western District Major Crime Squad to assume the investigation.

A police investigation is underway on Myrtle Avenue in Ansonia. Police have been there through the night and state police said the investigation is into a "use of force incident."

Video from body-worn cameras has been submitted to state police, Cota said.

On Saturday State Police also identified the three Ansonia police officers involved in the incident as Patrol Sergeant Christopher Flynn, Officer Brendon Nelson and Officer Wojciech Podgorski.

The officers have been placed on administrative leave amid the investigation, which Cota said is standard procedure.

Police said they had arrested Gregory on Nov. 16 for a domestic violence incident and the protective order was issued on Nov. 18.    

Authorities called this an isolated domestic incident and said no neighbors were in danger.

Myrtle Avenue is the same street where the mother of a missing baby, Vanessa Morales, was found dead in their home on Dec. 2, but police said this case is not connected to that one.

Vanessa Morales is still missing and an Amber Alert is in effect for information on her.

Anyone with information on where Vanessa is can call the FBI at 203-503-5555, the Ansonia Police Department at 203-735-1885 or through Tip411.whereabouts.

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