WEST HAVEN, CT — A West Haven police officer was justified in using deadly force during a December 2023 shooting that left a domestic violence suspect dead and another officer wounded, according to a report released Thursday by the Office of the Inspector General.
The incident occurred in the early hours of December 1, 2023, at an apartment on Terrace Avenue.
Officers responded after receiving a call from the mother of a woman who said her daughter was being held against her will. The woman reported that her daughter was unable to leave the apartment with her three children.
Upon arrival, officers interviewed the victim, who stated that her boyfriend, 33-year-old Jovan Washington, had choked her during an argument and prevented her from leaving the residence. Officers located Washington sleeping in a bedroom.
Body-worn camera footage confirmed that three officers entered the room and informed Washington that he was being taken into custody.
According to the Inspector General’s report, one officer instructed Washington to put on sweatpants before being taken in. Washington then turned and reached under the mattress.
He retrieved a firearm and fired one round, striking an officer in the leg. A second officer returned fire, shooting Washington three times during the struggle. A fourth shot was fired as officers continued ordering him to drop the weapon, which he eventually released.
Washington was transported to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Inspector General Robert Devlin concluded that the officer’s actions were “objectively reasonable and justified,” citing the immediate threat posed by Washington’s use of a firearm against law enforcement.
