Protests after Bridgeport officer who killed unarmed teen at traffic stop is cleared
BRIDGEPORT, Connecticut (WABC) -- Protests erupted in Connecticut after a Bridgeport police officer was cleared of wrongdoing in the shooting death of an unarmed teenager.
The state's attorney in Waterbury says rookie officer James Boulay was justified when he shot 14-year-old Jayson Negron and 21-year-old Julian Fyffe during a traffic stop in May.
Supporters of Negron dispute a police account that Boulay opened fire when Negron suddenly put his SUV in reverse and nearly hit the officer.
They called for a murder charge against Boulay.
Fyffe was a passenger in the SUV. He has said he and Negron were left bleeding on the street for nearly 20 minutes before they received medical attention.
"Jayson Negron died tragically on May 9, 2017, after being shot by Officer James Boulay," Waterbury State's Attorney Maureen Platt wrote in her report. "However ... Officer James Boulay reasonably believed that the use of deadly force was necessary to defend himself from the use of deadly force - that being the Subaru operated by Jayson Negron."
Family and supporters of Negron and Fyffe rallied outside Platt's office Friday and criticized the investigation.
"We are feeling all kinds of pain right now," said Jeannia Fu, an organizer of the rally. "This investigation by the state police ... this has been a sham from the start. ... We know the police can't investigate the police."
Platt also released surveillance video from a drug store near the shooting site, but it did not capture the shooting.
Boulay has declined to comment on the shooting. In a statement to investigators, he said he was in fear of being run over by the vehicle and possibly killed, and fired his gun multiple times.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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