Hamden police officer charged in traffic stop shooting that injured New Haven woman

A Hamden police officer has been arrested and charged in connection to a shooting that injured a New Haven woman during a traffic stop, state officials say.

News 12 Staff

Oct 21, 2019, 3:17 PM

Updated 1,809 days ago

Share:

A Hamden police officer has been arrested and charged in connection to a shooting that injured a New Haven woman during a traffic stop, state officials say.
Devin Eaton, 29, was arrested Monday by Connecticut State Police on a warrant charging him with one count of felony assault and two counts of reckless endangerment.
In a nearly 40-page report, prosecutors said Eaton showed "extreme indifference to human life." Hamden's mayor says Eaton's future on the force will be reviewed over the next 30 days.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, the charges are the result of an investigation conducted by the State's Attorney for the Judicial District of New Haven, into an April 26, 2019 incident.
The warrant states that a New Haven woman was shot as a result of the use of force by Eaton involving a traffic stop on Argyle Street.
Eaton fired 13 shots at a red Honda Civic believed to be involved in an armed robbery. A passenger in the car was injured, but she survived. Neither she nor the driver were armed. Eaton told state police investigators he couldn't see one of the driver's hands, and thought he was holding a gun. Video appears to show the driver raising his hands.
A separate officer from Yale University was involved in the incident and also fired three shots but officials say he was not charged.
 
Neither the driver nor the passenger were charged as a result of the incident, the warrant states.
Connecticut's ACLU executive director, David McGuire, released a statement saying in part, "Regardless of the outcome of this one case, true police accountability still does not exist in Connecticut. Police accountability will not exist until every level of government works to prevent police violence and to hold police employees responsible each time they hurt or kill someone, not just in cases when hundreds of people have taken to the streets in protest."
The shooting led to more than a week of protests. The protesters say the charges are a step in the right direction.
Eaton was released on $100,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in New Haven Superior Court on Oct. 28, 2019.