State trooper arraigned in death of Black motorist

MILFORD, Conn. — A white Connecticut state trooper who fatally shot a Black man, Mubarak Soulemane, following a high-speed chase in 2020 was arraigned Tuesday on a manslaughter charge.

Trooper Brian North, who is free on bail, said nothing during or after the brief appearance in Milford Superior Court and did not enter a plea. His next court date was scheduled for June 2.

North fired seven gunshots into the driver’s-side window of a stolen car after a chase on Jan. 15, 2020, that ended in West Haven. Soulemane, 19, was killed. An investigation showed Soulemane had a knife but was boxed in by police and unable to drive away.

North was arrested last month after state Inspector General Robert Devlin found the shooting was not justified.

About nine relatives and supporters of Soulemane were in the courtroom, including his mother, Omo Mohammed. Following the hearing, they chanted, “Justice for Mubarak” outside the courthouse.

“We are here today for justice, justice for my son, Mubarak Soulemane, who has been massacred by a state trooper, Brian North,” Mohammed said. “I hope justice will be served to convict Brian North to go to jail, to convict Brian North of being accountable for killing my son.”

Dozens of police officers, some from as far as Pennsylvania and New Jersey, showed up in plain clothes outside the courthouse before the hearing to show their support for

North. They later took up most of the seats in the courtroom, surrounding Soulemane’s family and supporters.

“Regardless of who it is, when our troopers are, what we believe, prosecuted for doing their job, we will defend them,” said Andrew Matthews, the executive director of the Connecticut State Police Union.

Mohammed said she believed the police officers who went to court Tuesday were there to intimidate her and her family, something the police union denied. She said she and her relatives will not be intimidated.

Soulemane’s family, the NAACP and other groups said North should not have opened fire because police had Soulemane surrounded and he could not get away. They said North and other officers should have tried to de-escalate the situation. Soulemane’s mother has a pending wrongful death lawsuit against North and other officers who were at the scene.