Middletown Officer Justified In Shooting Man In Hammer Attack: Official

MIDDLETOWN, CT — A Middletown police officer’s use of force was deemed to be justified when she shot a man who charged at her and struck her with a hammer last August, according to a report by the Office of the Inspector General.

Connecticut Inspector General Robert J. Devlin Jr. released a report Wednesday regarding “police-involved use of force” during an incident in Middletown on Aug. 12, 2023.

On that date, Middletown Police Detective Karli Travis responded around 6:30 a.m. to the 100 block of Liberty Street on the report of a man screaming loudly and smashing glass in the driveway.

As Travis approached the home, she saw the suspect, identified as 52-year-old Winston Tate, who “stood up and began walking towards her quickly,” according to the report. “He began swinging a hammer up and down in his right hand.”

The report states that Travis told Tate several times to, “put that down, please,” but he kept walking toward her with the hammer and didn’t drop it. Travis then called for backup on her police radio.

“As soon as she did this, Tate charged at her quickly yelling incoherently,” according to the report. “Detective Travis backpedaled and shouted, ‘Stop! Stop!’ She fell to the ground as he reached her, striking her with the hammer. She managed to fire several shots from her duty pistol. Tate, injured, retreated to the house as another officer arrived at the scene. Detective Travis told the other officer that she thought she shot her hand.

“A fellow officer drove Detective Travis to the hospital. Other responding Middletown officers noticed a blood trail from the location of the shooting back to the house. They called for Tate to come out of the house, but no one came out. Suspecting Tate might be injured, officers entered the house. They noticed blood in several rooms. When they entered the basement, Tate fled out a basement door and was detained by other officers, who provided medical attention. Tate was transported to Hartford Hospital where he was treated for gunshot wounds to the shoulder, hand, and elbow.”

A blood test at the hospital showed that Tate had alcohol and marijuana in his system, according to the report.

Travis suffered a concussion and a gunshot wound to her left hand in the incident, according to the report.

“In summary, the investigation establishes that at the time that Detective Travis discharged her firearm, Tate had rapidly closed the physical distance between them and was actively attacking the officer with a hammer, a weapon capable of causing serious physical injury,” Devlin wrote in the report. “Detective Travis reacted reasonably to defend herself. Accordingly, I conclude that under the circumstances presented, Detective Travis’ use of deadly force was justified.”

Read the full report here.

See also: Hammer Wielding Middletown Man Attacks Officer Body Cam Footage Shows