Hartford Man Convicted Of Trying To Kill City Cop: State

HARTFORD, CT — A 35-year-old Hartford man has been convicted of trying to shoot and kill a Hartford police officer during an incident in 2021.

Sharmese L. Walcott, Hartford State’s Attorney, announced Tuesday that Hartford Superior Court Judge Nuala E. Droney Oct. 3, found Jose Cajigas, 35, of Hartford, guilty of attempted murder, assault on a public safety officer, and criminal possession of a firearm.

According to evidence introduced during the court trial, a Hartford police officer on patrol on Main Street on Oct. 26, 2021, observed a man, later identified as Cajigas, walking with an orange umbrella toward her parked police cruiser.

Walcott said Cajigas paced in front of the vehicle and then approached the driver's side of the cruiser.

The officer notified dispatch and requested backup before verbally engaging with Cajigas, Walcott said.

While trying to determine if he needed medical assistance, the officer stated Cajigas moved away from her vehicle for a few seconds before re-engaging in conversation, she said.

When the officer asked Cajigas if he had been drinking, there was a sudden change in his demeanor, and he replied that he was intoxicated and might need assistance, Walcott said.

Walcott said the officer, still seated in her vehicle, instructed Cajigas to sit on the hood of her vehicle at which time she attempted to utilize her police radio to request an ambulance.

As the officer motioned to utilize the radio, the officer heard a "bang" followed by her cruiser's operator's side door window shattering, Walcott said.

The officer, startled by the shattered glass and, believing Cajigas threw an item at her, immediately drove away and alerted dispatch and responding officers about what had just occurred, she said.

The officer immediately circled back to the incident location, where she observed Cajigas fleeing toward a cemetery, according to authorities.

Officers arrived at the cemetery, established a perimeter, and within minutes, had located and detained Cajigas without incident, Walcott said.

In the immediate vicinity of where Cajigas was apprehended, officers found the orange umbrella and a .22 caliber Jennings firearm, she said.

Walcott said the firearm remained loaded and was secured on the scene for investigators to retrieve.

During the canvass of the parking lot on Main Street where the cruiser had been parked, one .22 caliber spent shell casing was located, she said.

Upon inspection of the officer's damaged vehicle, it was determined that the officer had been fired upon while seated inside her vehicle, according to Walcott.

"The window had been shattered, and a bullet projectile, consistent with a small caliber firearm, was located inside of the vehicle," wrote Walcott.

Walcott said the situation could have had a worse outcome and she is “appreciative of the hard work the prosecution team put into the case, is thankful for the full support of the process by the Hartford Police Department, including command staff, and is thankful that this horrific situation was thwarted by the quick action of the officer.”

Sentencing for Cajigas is scheduled for Jan. 9, 2026, in Hartford Superior Court.

For more information on the case, click on this link.