2 officers placed on leave
Man seriously injured, possibly paralyzed, while in police custody
Two New Haven police officers were put on administrative leave Tuesday following a Sunday night incident that left a detained New Haven man seriously injured, officials said.
Following an initial internal investigation by the New Haven Police Department, Officer Oscar Diaz and Sgt. Betsy Segui were placed on paid administrative leave while the investigation is ongoing, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said at a news conference Tuesday evening. Police also released some footage of the incident.
Richard Cox, 36, was seriously injured and possibly paralyzed after an officer made an “evasive maneuver” to avoid a crash as Cox was transported to a detention facility on Sunday, police officials said.
Cox suffered a spinal injury after he was arrested on a gun charge Sunday night, Elicker said at an earlier news conference on Monday night.
Cox was in the back of a police van when Diaz, the officer driving the vehicle, made an abrupt stop to avoid a crash. Minutes later Diaz pulled over to check on Cox, who said he could not move. Diaz called for medical assistance and drove to the detention facility rather than wait for the medical assistance where he had pulled over, which is the department’s normal protocol, Assistant Chief Karl Jacobson said during Tuesday’s press conference.
At the detention facility, Diaz spoke to Segui to report what happened, police said. Detention facility officers removed Cox from the transport van, holding him up since he was unable to stand. They then brought him inside, processing him while in a wheelchair. Jacobson said Cox then slid out of the wheelchair and told officers that he thought he broke his neck. Officers carried him by his arms to a holding cell and put him on the ground, where emergency services arrived minutes later.
Emergency services then took him to Yale New Haven Hospital for surgery, according
to New Haven Acting Police Chief Regina Rush-kittle.
Rush-kittle said there is still a chance that he will be permanently paralyzed.
Elicker said some of the actions by the officers while detaining Cox fell short of what they were obliged to do, but also added that he did not think the actions of the police officers involved were done with malice.
“Once the handcuffs go on, you’re then in the care of the New Haven Police Department and there’s an obligation to treat every individual in a manner that ensures their safety and wellbeing,” Elicker said. “Some of the actions taken by the officers in my personal judgment fall short of that.”
Three other officers were reassigned from the detention facility while investigations are ongoing, according to Rush-kittle.
“We’ll do anything that we need to do so this doesn’t happen again,” Jacobson said. “This is a horrible thing that happened to this young man, and we’re going to do everything possible so it doesn’t happen again.”
There were no seatbelts in the van used to transport Cox, just loops for detained passengers to hold onto while in handcuffs, Jacobson said Monday. Following Cox’s injuries, Jacobson said the two vans outfitted with loops instead of seatbelts have been taken off the road while the department figures out the best way to transport detainees.
“We are fully committed to transparency with the Cox family and the public,” Rush-kittle said.
On Monday, Rush-kittle said she ordered an internal investigation of the incident.
“We have also reached out to the State’s Attorney’s Office and the State Office of the Inspector General to alert them of this incident so that they can immediately begin reviewing the facts and circumstances and take any and all action they deem appropriate and that’s necessary,” she said.
The incident is now under investigation by the state police for any possible criminal activity and the state attorney’s office is consulting with them on it, Jacobson said.
Police were called to Lilac Street Sunday night regarding a weapons complaint, Rush-kittle said. A subsequent investigation pointed to Cox. He was found to be in possession of a Ruger P98 and was uncooperative while being taken into custody, Rush-kittle said.
Cox was previously convicted of third-degree assault and resisting arrest, according to court records. Anyone previously convicted of a crime is ineligible to own a handgun in Connecticut, according to state statutes.
Cox is charged with criminal possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit, first- and second-degree threatening and second-degree breach of peace. It was not known if Cox had an attorney who could speak for him.