Hartford Family To File Wrongful Death Lawsuit In Feb. 19 Police Shooting: Attorney

HARTFORD, CT — The family of Everard Walker, a 53-year-old Hartford man fatally shot by police Feb. 19, announced plans to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the City of Hartford and the Hartford Police Department.

At a press conference at Hartford City Hall on Wednesday, attorney Kenneth Krayeske of BBB Attorneys LLC said the lawsuit, filed on behalf of Walker’s family, will seek unspecified damages under Connecticut’s Police Accountability Act.

Walker was shot inside his apartment at 990 Capitol Ave. after a family member called 211 seeking help during what relatives described as a mental health crisis.

“They killed my husband. They took my world from me,” said Linda Gray, Walker’s partner of 29 years. “We just wanted help for him. Someone laced him with a cigarette, and he was broken. He needed medication to eat and sleep because of this. He had run out of medication, and we just wanted help for him. We agreed to call the paramedics. My mother-in-law wanted us to call paramedics. So we called 211. We wanted an evaluation. We did not call no police.”

Krayeske called the shooting “a travesty of justice.”

“What started off as a call by a member of Mr. Walker’s family to 211 to seek assistance for a fairly routine mental health episode he was experiencing – he needed to take his medication — turned into a situation in which 11 police officers barged into Mr. Walker’s apartment,” Krayeske said. “None of them should have been there, as he was not presenting a danger to his family or to himself. Over the course of more than an hour, the police escalated the situation, culminating in one of the officers shooting Mr. Walker 5 times, and killing him.”

State authorities released body camera footage and a preliminary report Monday detailing the events leading to the shooting.

According to Connecticut Inspector General Eliot D. Prescott, a family member called 211 shortly before 10 a.m. on Feb. 19 seeking assistance because Walker was experiencing an acute mental health crisis.

Two mental health professionals from the Capitol Region Mental Health Center requested that Hartford police accompany them to the apartment.

Officers and clinicians arrived around 10:08 a.m. and attempted to speak with Walker from the hallway through the open apartment door on the third floor.

Walker’s son and daughter were present, and his spouse arrived during the incident.

Police initially entered the apartment but retreated after becoming concerned that Walker might throw a pot of boiling water at them, according to the report.

Discussions continued for nearly an hour.

At about 10:58 a.m., officers re-entered the apartment as Walker attempted to close the door while being physically restrained by his son.

A struggle followed involving Walker, his two children, and Hartford police Officers Alexander Clifford and Geovanny Rivera.

During the altercation, Walker brandished a knife, the report states.

Officers ordered him to drop it, but he did not comply. Walker “appeared to be poised to stab Officer Rivera,” who had fallen backward, according to the inspector general’s report.

Clifford then fired several shots. Walker was struck multiple times, treated at the scene, and later pronounced dead at Saint Francis Hospital.

Krayeske said the state recently appropriated $5 million to expand 211 services and crisis response programs such as the Hartford Emergency Assistance Response Team.

He questioned why police were dispatched in force.

“Social workers who are trained specifically to respond to this type of mental health event should not have cops following in tow,” Krayeske said. “They don’t carry guns, and they are trained to de-escalate situations like the one that was happening with Mr. Walker. I’m not sure why we tout those services if we’re going to send 11 police officers with guns for a routine mental health call. It’s absurd.”

“This was completely avoidable,” he added. “A woman has lost her partner of 29 years, five children have lost their father, and a mother has lost her son. And for what? For nothing, that’s what. The City of Hartford and the Hartford Police Department are responsible for this tragedy, and they need to be held to account.”

The Office of the Inspector General continues to investigate the shooting, as required under state law.

From Feb. 23: 'VIDEO: Hartford PD Shoots And Kill Knife-Wielding Man Last Week: State'