Friends and family gathered in West Haven Friday evening to remember a man shot and killed by state police one year ago.           

Police blocked off a section of the street on Campbell Avenue as dozens gathered to remember 19-year-old Mubarak Soulemane who was fatally shot by Connecticut trooper Brian North on Jan. 15, 2020.North was following Soulemane after he reportedly stole a car at knifepoint in Norwalk. This led state police on a chase down I-95 to West Haven, where Soulemane was shot seven times.

The family says this was an unjustified shooting and they have a claim pending with the state's Claims Commission seeking $10 million. The family is also seeking criminal charges against the state trooper.

The family attorney says that Soulemane did have a knife, but that it was inside the car when he was shot.

"Mubarak was fully isolated and contained within the vehicle so he posed no harm to anyone," the lawyer says. “There hasn’t been a case like this in Connecticut for a long time, where it’s clear in our view that Mubarak was murdered by a state trooper.” Middlesex State's Attorney Michael Gailor issued a statement about the ongoing investigation, saying in part, "While we are striving to complete the investigation as quickly as possible, our primary goal is to ensure that the investigation is thorough and complete."The family's attorney says that once they have that state attorney's report they'll be able to move forward.