A close friend of the man who was fatally shot by Stratford police says he is heartbroken by the
body camera footage.
Casper says he believes Chris Hagans' criminal record wrongly influenced the mindset of the officers involved in the fatal shooting and contributed to their decision to use deadly force.
The state's attorney says the officers had responded to a request from Naugatuck police to serve a warrant for the suspect on strangulation and home invasion charges. Hagans was believed to be armed and dangerous when police pulled him over in Stratford Friday night.
Former FBI agent Kevin Kline, who says he's investigated many police-involved shootings, says Stratford police have an excellent reputation for being fair and professional and that no one should prejudge how they responded.
But Hagans' friend says he has "a bad feeling" about what he saw in the video.
"It hurts me, it hurts me to see him -- even in the video he says, 'What did I do?' Nobody explained nothing to him," said Casper.
Casper says he is disturbed by the hate-filled messages on social media written by people who did not know Hagans.
Hagans leaves behind four children.
Police say a gun was found on the ground by Hagans.