Testimony began on Monday in the trial of Connecticut state trooper Brian North. He faces a manslaughter charge in the January 2020 shooting death of Mubarak Soulemane after an incident where he pulled a knife in an AT&T store in Norwalk and then a police pursuit that ended in West Haven.
Outside the courtroom on Monday, there were signs of support for North. Meanwhile, the family of Soulemane leaned on each other.
“They’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time and they’re very eager to get the trial going,” Soulemane family attorney Mark Arons said.
The state's inspector general determined North was not justified in shooting and killing 19-year-old Mubarak Soulemane on Jan 15, 2020.
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Soulemane’s sister was one of the first people to testify on Monday. She said her brother suffered from schizophrenia and was having an episode before he was killed.
“I spoke to him that week before he passed, and I can tell by just speaking to him he was pretty erratic. Like, you know, he was definitely experiencing a mania. I was someone he often called when he was in that state,” Mariyann Soulemane said.
The defense questioned whether or not Soulemane was taking his medication in January of 2020.
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Soulemane’s girlfriend, Julia Johnson, also testified and said Mubarak was not acting like himself the day before the shooting. She identified the knife Soulemane was seen holding and said it was taken from her place.
“The absence of that knife, combined with his erratic manic state, is concerning,” defense attorney Frank Riccio questioned. “Correct,” Johnson said.
A large portion of the afternoon was focused on whether or not Soulemane driving away in his Lyft driver’s vehicle from a gas station in Norwalk was an auto theft or carjacking incident.
“We use this term carjacking, but in terms of your law enforcement training is there a difference between carjacking and an ordinary auto theft,” Inspector General Robert Devlin questioned. “Normal auto theft involves no physical force when a vehicle was taken,” Norwalk Police Sgt. Justin Bisceglie said.
“When you terminated pursuit [in Norwalk] you did it because you made an assessment that there was not a crime of violence, therefore did not warrant a dangerous pursuit?” Devlin asked. “Yes,” Bisceglie said.
The defense played dispatch recordings and pressed authorities with the Norwalk Police Dept. on whether the correct information regarding an auto theft or carjacking incident was given to state troopers.
“Is it fair to say that it was broadcast over the radio that this stolen car incident, was now being investigated as a carjacking, suspect has a knife?” Riccio asked. “Correct,” Bisceglie said.
On Tuesday, the state will call the Lyft driver whose car Soulemane stole that day to the stand.
