The 2023 officer-involved shooting of a man who was trying to flee after stealing a car from a tire business in West Hartford was justified, according to a report released Thursday by the Connecticut Office of Inspector General.
West Hartford Police Department Officer Andrew Teeter fired five rounds, killing 34-year-old Mike Alexander-Garcia as he was attempting to steal a vehicle from the garage bay of the Town Fair Tire on New Britain Avenue at 5 p.m. on Aug, 8, 2023, according to the report from Inspector General Robert J. Devlin, Jr.
Devlin ruled that Teeter used deadly force “to defend himself and others from what he reasonably believed to be a threat of serious injury or death,” the report said.
The situation began at 4:51 p.m. when West Hartford police were trying to pull over a Hyundai Elantra that had been reported stolen from Hartford on Aug. 4, 2023. The stolen Hyundai, occupied by Alexander-Garcia and another suspect, 47-year-old Lyle Solsbury, was picked up by a FLOCK camera near the Westfarms Mall that alerted police, according to the report.
Officers spotted the vehicle heading east on New Britain Avenue, where they deployed stop sticks, the report said. The officer saw that the Hyundai struck a BMW and then a Honda Pilot at the intersection of New Britain Avenue and South Street, where it became disabled before Alexander-Garcia and Solsbury fled on foot, according to the report.
Solsbury was apprehended quickly and arrested on multiple charges.
As Teeter responded to the area, he learned that one party was in custody but “at least one other subject was still outstanding,” the report said.
After exiting his cruiser, witnesses told Teeter the suspect, described as a man wearing a long-sleeve black shirt and red shorts, was running east along New Britain Avenue. Dispatch relayed that the man, later identified as Alexander-Garcia, had attempted to jump into someone’s car but was unsuccessful.
Teeter got back into his cruiser and drove east on New Britain Avenue. At Town Fair Tire, Teeter saw Alexander-Garcia running through the Town Fair Tire lot. Alexander-Garcia then ran into the garage bay of the Town Fair Tire and jumped into a Toyota RAV4, as seen on footage released by the Inspector General.
Teeter pulled into the lot and went into the service bay. Several employees were in the garage and one was leaning into an open window of a parked vehicle. Teeter said in a statement that it appeared that the employee was in a fight with Alexander-Garcia. Teeter told the employee to move and then observed Alexander-Garcia in the driver’s seat.
“I then deployed K-9 Islay into the vehicle through the open front passenger window and instructed her to bite the subject and hold him so I could take the subject into custody,” Teeter said in his statement to the Inspector General.
“While standing outside of the vehicle but leaning in, I now observed that the vehicle had keys in the ignition. I observed that despite the subject being bit by K-9 Islay, he was still attempting to put the vehicle in gear,” Teeter said in his statement. “If I attempted to get away from the vehicle, I feared I would be struck by the open door or caught up in the wheels and run over.”
Teeter jumped into the passenger side and told Alexander-Garcia not to drive away as the K-9 locked onto his arm, the report said.
“I entered the vehicle for my own safety as well as to continue to effect the arrest of the subject,” Teeter said in the statement. “I gave multiple commands to the subject to ‘stop fighting,’ ‘stop it,’ and ‘don’t do it’ but he made no effort to stop; nor did he make any comments to suggest compliance. I broadcast on my radio that we were in the vehicle and K-9 Islay was on the subject.”
Alexander-Garcia is seen on the responding officer’s dashcam footage hitting the officer’s vehicle and another vehicle as he attempted to drive away with both the police dog and Teeter in the vehicle. As the vehicle accelerated onto New Britain Avenue, another officer at the scene observed the RAV4 strike a white Nissan Altima that was traveling westbound.
During that time, Teeter’s bodycam footage shows him screaming multiple times at Alexander-Garcia.
“At this time, I was backward in the front passenger seat and across the center console area with K-9 Islay between the subject and me while the vehicle was in motion and the passenger door still open. Due to my position and the fight I was engaged in with the subject, I could not determine at all where we were going,” Teeter said in the statement. “The vehicle began to shake in a manner that I knew it was in motion and colliding with objects. I then gave multiple warnings to the subject that “I’m gonna shoot you,” “STOP,” and still the subject observed no change in behavior or attempts by the subject to surrender.”
Teeter told the inspectors he could hear the engine accelerating as they were bounced around within the vehicle.
“Based on the culmination of events thus far, the subject’s complete disregard for my lawful commands and his continued behavior of non-compliance/active resistance, I feared for my safety,” Teeter said in the statement. “If the subject was allowed to continue to operate in a violent reckless manner on a busy and active roadway and pedestrian area, there was a high likelihood of serious injury or death to myself, K-9 Islay, and the public. Based on the totality of circumstances, and after numerous warnings, I drew my department-issued service weapon and discharged several shots at the subject.”
Alexander-Garcia was struck five times in his torso and crashed into a utility pole across the street from Town Fair Tire. West Hartford officers and EMS provided Alexander-Garcia medical aid on scene until he was transported to Hartford Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 5:53 p.m.
The Inspector General said Teeter suffered a broken rib and multiple head lacerations during the incident. The police dog was not harmed.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on Alexander-Garcia on Aug. 9, 2023, and ruled the death a homicide as a result of gunshot wounds. The autopsy report listed five gunshot wounds to Alexander-Garcia’s torso. Four projectiles were recovered from his body and turned over to Office of Inspector General inspectors. A toxicological analysis of Alexander-Garcia’s blood was positive for cocaine and benzoylecgonine, the report said.
Family of man killed by West Hartford police officer files wrongful death lawsuit seeking over $75M
The family of Alexander-Garcia filed a wrongful death lawsuit in July against Teeter, the town of West Hartford and its police department seeking more than $75 million.
The 66-page lawsuit, filed on behalf of the administratrix of Alexander-Garcia’s estate on July 31 in Hartford Superior Court, alleges Teeter violated multiple department policies and Alexander-Garcia’s constitutional rights under the state’s Police Accountability Act, which was passed in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in 2020.
The 15-count complaint contends that Teeter should not have released the police dog into the vehicle Alexander-Garcia was allegedly trying to steal and should not have pursued him on foot or jumped into the car. The lawsuit, filed by Peter Bowman and Ken Krayeske of Stratford-based BBB Attorneys, alleges that Teeter did not give a clear directive and only expressed his intent to shoot Alexander-Garcia before firing multiple rounds at Alexander-Garcia.
The inspector general concluded that Teeter’s decision to deploy the police dog into the RAV4 to take Alexander-Garcia into custody was “a less lethal option with a high probability of success.”
As part of its investigation, Devlin consulted with K-9 expert Terry Anderson regarding Teeter’s deployment of Islay into the RAV4.
“Officer Teeter’s deployment of canine Islay through the passenger side window was reasonable and the most efficient/effective less lethal force option. Alexander-Garcia’s failure to comply with Officer Teeter’s commands and Islay’s bite displayed his complete disregard for his safety and the safety of others,” Anderson said, according to the report.
“Alexander-Garcia’s behavior is contrary to others when confronted with a police canine. A lot of criminals when confronted with the potential of being bitten by a police canine immediately surrender. Others fail to surrender until a canine is forced to bite them. Alexander-Garcia can be heard pleading with Officer Teeter to stop the dog from biting him; however, Alexander-Garcia made no effort to surrender and continued his reckless actions while relentlessly trying to escape.”
Devlin also concluded that Teeter’s decision to enter the RAV4 to affect the arrest of Alexander-Garcia did not amount to officer-created jeopardy.
“Finally, his use of deadly force inside the RAV4 was a reasonable response to a legitimate threat of serious injury or death to himself and others posed by the chaotic and reckless actions of Alexander-Garcia,” the report said.
“In sum, I find Officer Teeter’s use of deadly force to be justified under Connecticut law.”
West Hartford Police Chief Vernon L. Riddick Jr. issued a statement following the release of the report.
“Officer Teeter responded to a dangerous incident impacting innocent members of the public, involving the commission of multiple felonies, including attempted carjackings. We are saddened by Mr. Garcia’s loss of life and grateful that innocent victims were not injured,” he said. “The Inspector General conducted a thorough and impartial investigation into the events related to this incident. The investigation determined that Officer Teeter’s use of force was justified. I appreciate Officer Teeter and all of our police officers for their commitment to public safety and the courage they exhibit daily in the line of duty.”
West Hartford Mayor Shari G. Cantor said the town remains committed to police accountability.
“The loss of any life is a tragedy, and my heartfelt condolences go out to the family of Mr. Alexander-Garcia,” she said in a statement. “West Hartford remains deeply committed to the principles of police accountability, and I appreciate the thorough investigation conducted by the state Office of the Inspector General. We are relieved that Officer Teeter’s injuries were not more severe and that no one else was harmed. I am deeply grateful to Officer Teeter and to all the dedicated men and women of the West Hartford Police Department who selflessly risk their lives every day to protect and serve our community.”
The law firm representing the family of Alexander-Garcia sent a statement on Thursday expressing its disappointment in the report.
“We are deeply disappointed by the Office of Inspector General’s report and findings. Mike was a son and brother, and his death was completely unnecessary. Had Officer Teeter made different decisions that day, Mike would still be alive. We know what Mike did that day. But it is the job of our police officers to mitigate danger and risk rather than increase it. Lifting a police dog into the car Mike was in and then jumping into the car created the situation that led Officer Teeter to shoot Mike five times. This was overaggressive police work that led to tragic results,” the statement from BBB Attorneys said.
“Mike was shot at point-blank range as he begged for his life as a K-9 attacked and bit him. Officer Teeter failed to issue clear commands beyond shouting that he was going to shoot Mike. We believe the officer could have behaved less aggressively, issued clear commands and used pepper spray or a Taser to end this situation in a non-lethal way. The OIG report does not assess a multiple-minute delay in medical care for Mike and, additionally, lacks any critical assessment of police action that day,” the statement continued.
“Our community deserves better. Mike and his family deserve better. We will continue to seek justice and accountability on behalf of Mike and his family by all means possible.”
West Hartford corporation counsel Dallas C. Dodge said the town will continue to defend itself in regard to the lawsuit pending in Superior Court.
“The report of the Office of Inspector General details a highly dangerous situation caused by the violent criminal conduct of Mr. Alexander-Garcia, and the investigation concludes that the use of deadly force by our police officer was a reasonable response to a legitimate threat of serious injury or death to himself and others posed by the chaotic and reckless actions of Mr. Alexander-Garcia,” Dodge said in a statement. “The Town intends to vigorously defend itself and the police officer named in the plaintiff’s civil lawsuit.”
