Man Fatally Shot By Wallingford Police, New Details Released

WALLINGFORD, CT — A man was fatally shot by police during an incident early Monday morning in Wallingford, according to officials.

Connecticut Inspector General Robert J. Devlin Jr. issued a preliminary report Wednesday regarding the use of deadly force by the Wallingford Police Department that resulted in the death of 62-year-old Donald Passmore.

Police received a 911 call around 2:35 a.m. on Oct. 16 reporting that a man shot himself in the face in his home in the 100 block of North Airline Road.

Officers Gordon McCaskill and Robert Bellucci were sent to investigate and spoke with a woman who said that her boyfriend, Passmore, shot himself in their bedroom, according to Devlin.

“Officers entered the house, announced that they were police officers and asked, ‘where’s the gun?’” Devlin wrote in the report. “Passmore spoke to them from the bedroom, and they proceeded to the bedroom door, where Passmore was lying on the bed. The officers spoke to Passmore for about nine minutes. They asked Passmore to place his hands in the air and instructed him several times not to touch the gun. At 2:54 a.m. officers said ‘don’t touch the gun!’ and ‘put your right hand up!’ At this point, a total of approximately 10 rounds were fired at Passmore. Officers located a .22 caliber revolver on the bed.”

Wallingford police personnel rendered medical assistance until Emergency Medical Services arrived. Passmore was taken to MidState Medical Center in Meriden, where he was pronounced dead at 3:37 a.m., according to Devlin.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be: “Gunshot wounds of torso.” The manner of death was certified as a homicide.

Devlin said neither the death certificate nor the toxicological report was available, as of Wednesday.

The Office of Inspector General, Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, Connecticut State Police Eastern District Major Crime Squad, and the Wallingford Police Department are conducting the investigation.

The Inspector General’s Office released footage from the body-worn cameras of both officers. In the video, Passmore can be heard telling both officers to put their flashlights down, and also said twice “one of you are going to go.”

The body-camera footage can be seen below.

Caution: The images and audio may be disturbing. Discretion is advised.