CT police sergeant charged after investigation into fatal rollover crash on I-84

State police have charged an off-duty police sergeant who they say caused a rollover crash on Interstate 84 in Southington last April that killed a New Britain man when he was ejected from his pickup truck.

Shannon Sherry, 48, turned himself in at Troop H in Hartford Thursday on charges of failure to drive in the proper lane and misconduct with a motor vehicle, according to Connecticut State Police.

Sherry is a sergeant with the Norwalk Police Department and has been placed on administrative leave following the arrest, Norwalk police Chief James Walsh said in a statement Thursday. Norwalk police will launch an internal affairs investigation now that the state police investigation into the crash has been completed, Walsh said.

The charges Sherry faces stem from a crash on April 19, 2023, reported on I-84 East near Exit 30 just before 4:30 p.m., that killed 24-year-old Elijah Vallier of New Britain.

“Our deepest condolences go out to the family of Elijah Joseph Vallier, and everyone affected by this tragic incident,” Walsh said.

State police looking for witnesses to fatal rollover crash on I-84 in Southington

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, troopers investigating the crash spoke to multiple people who witnessed the collision, including one driver who had dashboard camera video that captured the fatal collision.

Witness statements and footage showed that Sherry, driving east in a 2023 Tesla Model 3, was in the left of three lanes when he suddenly cut across all three lanes and struck the rear driver side of a Ford F-250 pickup truck being driven by Vallier, the affidavit said. One witness said it looked as though Sherry was trying to get off the highway using Exit 30, according to the warrant affidavit.

A witness also told police it looked as though Vallier tried to regain control of the pickup truck following the collision, the affidavit said.

The collision sent the truck to the left across all three lanes before it continued into the median, where it rolled over and struck a guardrail, according to the warrant affidavit. During the rollover, Vallier can be seen in the dashcam footage being ejected from the truck, state police wrote in the affidavit. He did not have a seatbelt on, the affidavit said.

The Ford ended up on its roof partially in the shoulder and left lane of I-84 West. Vallier was found lying outside the truck and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the affidavit.

Sherry stopped after the crash and spoke to a trooper at the scene, telling him he was changing lanes when another motorist sideswiped him, the warrant affidavit said. He said he pulled over into the shoulder and was prepared to exchange insurance information with the other driver involved when he realized the truck was on its roof on the westbound side of I-84, according to the affidavit.

Sherry told state police he tried to check on the driver, but someone was telling others at the scene to stay away, the warrant affidavit said. Sherry said he went back to his Tesla to check on his daughter.

Sherry and the girl did not report any injuries, according to state police.

During their investigation, troopers inspected both vehicles involved in the wreck and did not find any abnormalities or mechanical issues that could have contributed to the crash, according to the warrant affidavit.

The investigation found the crash was caused by Sherry’s “unsafe lane change” from the left lane all the way over to the right lane, without pausing in the center lane, to use Exit 30, the affidavit said.

The warrant for Sherry’s arrest was signed by a judge Wednesday.

Sherry posted a $25,000 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned in New Britain Superior Court on March 5.