‘My family can breathe just a little’
Family of New Haven man killed by state trooper in 2020 says manslaughter charge ‘just the beginning’
WEST HAVEN — The call was raised again Thursday, as it has been over the past two years, feet from where New Haven resident Mubarak Soulemane was fatally shot by Connecticut State Police Trooper Brian North in January 2020.
“Justice for Mubarak! Justice for Mubarak! Justice for Mubarak!”
Members of the Soulemane family, as well as supporters and attorneys, expressed their gratitude for state Inspector General Richard Devlin’s decision that the shooting was not justified, leading to North being arrested on a charge of manslaugher.
Omo Mohammed, Soulemane’s mother, thanked Devlin taking his time investigating the case, as well as family, friends and community members for offering their support during these past years.
“This is just the beginning,” said Mohammed. “We have a long way to go, and Brian North will be held accountable for killing my son.”
Mubarak Soulemane’s sister, Mariyann Soulemane, said the decision to charge North came after “over two years of complete agony, constant protest, grief and frustration” for her and her loved ones.
Devlin’s report, she said, validated the idea that the use of force that claimed her brother’s life was unjust.
“As of Wednesday, my family can breathe just a little bit,” she said. “This brings me some semblance of peace, but it will never bring back my brother. We miss him every day . ... The real justice would be having him here with us today. But this, this is a step in the right direction.”
Attorney Jeffrey Ment, representing North, declined to comment Thursday.
Mariyann Soulemane called for systemic change in her brother’s name, saying officers had wielded lethal force with impunity for too long.
“The road to accountability will be a long one. But together, the family will continue on this road together,” she said.
Attorney Sanford Rubenstein, part of the legal team representing the family, called for North to be sentenced to a significant prison sentence, up to 20 years in prison, the maximum allowable under state law.
“Let this send a message to law enforcement all over this country, that if you kill without justification, you will face criminal charges. Let this be an example to police officers all over this country,” said Rubenstein.
Attorney Mark Arons, also representing the family, said their stance in this matter does not mean they are anti-police. Rather, he said, there is a role for police — people count on them, he noted.
“It’s not about police generally,” said Arons. “The simple fact is that law enforcement cannot be both judge and jury. There remains a misguided priority in policing — apprehension and capture, as opposed to public safety and de-escalation.”
The Rev. Kevin McCall, a civil rights activist and founder of The Crisis Action Center, led some of those in attendance in chants of “Justice of Mubarak!”
Over the past years, the family and others had wept for the loss, he said; on Thursday, any tears shed were offered in joy.
Asked how the events of the past two years had changed her, Mariyann Soulemane noted the weight of the grief, difficult to suffer under normal circumstances, that the family has had to bear in the public eye.
“It’s forced us to be stronger,” she said.
North fatally shot Soulemane just off Interstate 95’s Exit 43 on Jan. 15. Soulemane had stolen a vehicle from a rideshare driver in Norwalk after displaying a knife at an AT&T store there, then fled from police at high rates of speed along the highway until exiting in West Haven and crashing.
According to North and the OIG investigation report, Soulemane was motionless in the car immediately following the crash, and the car essentially was boxed in by police cruisers and the other car involved in the crash. North was on the driver’s side of the vehicle while another trooper and a West Haven police officer were on the passenger side. When the officer on the passenger side used a baton to break the car window, Soulemane took out the knife and turned to the passenger side.
At that point, North said, he thought either the other trooper or the officer was going to attempt to enter the vehicle to apprehend Soulemane and he feared Soulemane was going to stab them. He opened fire.
He fired seven shots through the closed window.
According to the OIG report, the West Haven officer said he did not intend to enter the car; the other trooper said he did intend to enter the car. Devlin found it unreasonable for North to believe either would enter the car, and that “at the moment that North fired,” neither the other trooper or officer “faced any actual or imminent danger of deadly force being used against them.”
Among other things, Devlin also found that North did not need to fire 7 times, writing, “It is certainly possible that one shot might have disabled Soulemane from attacking others yet not kill him.”
Ultimately, Devlin found the shooting unjustified.
North was arrested and charged with first-degree manslaughter with a firearm Tuesday by the state inspector general’s office. State police said he had been put on paid administrative leave and that his police powers were suspended pending criminal proceedings.
He is free on a $50,000 bond and is due to appear in Superior Court in Milford May 3.