CT Inspector General identifies suspect fatally shot by West Hartford officer, releases bodycam footage
The Connecticut Office of Inspector General on Friday released body camera and surveillance footage of a fatal officer-involved shooting in West Hartford on Tuesday and identified both the officer and the man who was killed.
West Hartford Police Officer Andrew Teeter fired multiple rounds at 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, according to the Office of Inspector General.
The chaotic situation began unfolding at about 5 p.m. on Tuesday when West Hartford police were trying to pull over a Hyundai Elantra that was reportedly stolen last Friday at Westfarms Mall. The vehicle, occupied by Alexander-Garcia and another suspect, 47-year-old Lyle Solsbury, was identified as stolen through a stationary license plate reader that alerted police.
Officers spotted the vehicle heading east on New Britain Avenue where they deployed stop sticks, according to officials. The Elantra 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.
Solsbury was apprehended quickly and arrested on multiple charges. Alexander-Garcia ran into the garage bay of the nearby Town Fair Tire and jumped into an SUV, as seen on footage released by the Inspector General.
Teeter arrived shortly thereafter and found Alexander-Garcia struggling with an employee. Teeter ordered the employee out of the vehicle and deployed a K-9 to attack Alexander-Garcia, bodycam footage shows. Teeter jumped into the passenger side and told Alexander-Garcia not to drive away as the K-9 appeared to lock onto his arm, the footage shows.
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 K-9 and Teeter in the vehicle. The bodycam footage shows Teeter screaming multiple times to Alexander-Garcia that he is going to shoot him before he fires multiple rounds into his torso (Warning: Graphic).
Alexander-Garcia then crashed into a utility pole across the street from Town Fair Tire. He was taken 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 K-9 was not harmed.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on Alexander-Garcia Wednesday and ruled the death a homicide as a result of gunshot wounds to the torso. The results were released Friday as part of a preliminary report put out by the Inspector General.
The Inspector General — who will investigate the officer’s use of deadly force to determine if it was justified — also released footage from inside Town Fair Tire and bodycam and dashcam footage from multiple officers involved as part of the preliminary report. The entire investigation will likely take more than a year.
The Connecticut State Police Western District Major Crimes is assisting the Inspector General with the investigation.
The Office of Inspector General was created as part of the Police Accountability Act enacted by the Connecticut General Assembly in 2020. The shooting Tuesday is the fifth officer-involved shooting in Connecticut reported this year and the first fatality in the state in 2023 at the hands of a police officer.
West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor issued a statement Friday acknowledging that the videos released are “undeniably hard to watch.”
“Any loss of life is tragic in such a difficult situation,” the mayor said.
“Thankfully, Connecticut has been a national leader in developing a fair, independent, and transparent system for investigating police-involved shootings,” Cantor continued. “I am confident that our police department will work together with state authorities to ensure that a comprehensive and thorough investigation is conducted into this incident.”
“The West Hartford Police Department greatly appreciates and respects the obligation of the Inspector General’s Office to release this video footage to the public,” West Hartford Police Chief Vernon L. Riddick said in a statement Friday.
Riddick said the situation that unfolded Tuesday was “dangerous” and involved multiple carjackings. He encouraged the public to review all of the details of what the Inspector General’s Office has released.
“The West Hartford Police Department believes strongly in transparency, and in all facts being gathered and impartially evaluated,” Riddick said. “To that end, state law clearly places the Inspector General’s office as the lead investigative entity of this incident, and we will continue to fully cooperate with them as they conduct their work.”