NEW LONDON STATE’S ATTORNEY NO LONGER INVESTIGATING NEW HAVEN SHOOTING

New London State's Attorney Michael L. Regan will not be overseeing the investigation into the Jan. 15 officer-involved shooting that killed a 19-year-old New Haven man.

Connecticut State Police Trooper Brian North shot Soulemane Murbarak in West Haven on the night of Jan. 15 after Murbarak allegedly stole a car in Norwalk and led police on a high-speed chase. State police said North opened fire when Murbarak “displayed” a knife.

Regan had been assigned to the case, but acting Chief State's Attorney John J. Russotto announced Tuesday that Middlesex State's Attorney Michael A. Gailor will lead the investigation. Regan is preparing for the trial this spring of Sergio Correa, who is accused of killing three members of the Lindquist family and burning down the family home during a home invasion in Griswold on Dec. 20, 2017.

Connecticut State Police historically have investigated police-involve shootings; however, it was decided to have Division of Criminal Justice inspectors conduct this investigation because the use of force involved a state trooper.

“In that the circumstances of this investigation have changed significantly with the assignment of the investigatory work to the division's inspectors, and considering the current caseload of the New London State's Attorney's Office, it is prudent that this matter now be assigned to another state's attorney, Russotto said in a news release.

“The Division of Criminal Justice again extends its condolences to the family of Mr. Soulemane, and we reiterate our intention to complete this investigation in as timely a fashion as possible,” said Russotto.