Graphic by Evelyn Kim ’25/The Choate News
By Steven Kee ’27, Copy Editor
Protests have erupted across the city of New Haven following the September 19 shooting of Mr. Jebrell Conley at a Splash Car Wash in West Haven. The protestors ranged from Mr. Conley’s family members to others who were simply outraged by the event.
At the time of his death, Mr. Conley had a warrant for his arrest on federal robbery and firearm-related charges. He had previously been sentenced to five years in prison on federal narcotics charges. Two of the officers involved in the shooting were from the New Haven Police Department (NHPD) Violent Crime Task Force, while one was from the Connecticut State Police. According to police body camera footage, when the officers attempted to apprehend Mr. Conley in his car, he appeared to open fire, shattering the driver’s side window. The three officers returned fire, striking Mr. Conley multiple times. The officers attempted to provide Mr. Conley with medical aid before he was transported to Yale New Haven Hospital, where he later passed away.
The officers at the scene remained physically unharmed, and the two NHPD officers are currently on paid administrative leave. After the incident, officers recovered a stolen high-capacity handgun that Mr. Conley allegedly fired during the encounter. The Connecticut Inspector General’s Office is currently investigating the shooting.
According to News 8 WTNH, the protestors expressed skepticism about the police’s claim that Mr. Conley fired at the officers first, and they believed the police escalated the situation. Demonstrators also argued that the “edited body camera video” did not reflect the full, accurate story.
Community Organizer Ms. Kerry Ellington told the Yale Daily News that Mr. Conley’s rights to due process were “irrevocably denied” and that he was “executed” in a “mob-style” killing by the NHPD. “Nothing justifies the police killing Jebrell. Nothing justifies their recklessness and the violence that they engineered last week,” Ms. Ellington said. Additional protests were held in front of the NHPD Station on Union Avenue and near Mr. Conley’s childhood home.
At a press conference addressing the shooting, New Haven Mayor Mr. Justin Elicker said, “It appears to me that the officers used appropriate force. It appears to me that Mr. Conley fired first. It appears that the officers’ lives were in danger.” He also emphasized the success of the Violent Crimes Task Force and its role in safeguarding the New Haven community. At the same press conference, New Haven Chief of Police Mr. Karl R. Jacobson said, “The officers had to do what they had to do, and we support them.”
The shooting of Mr. Conley came as a shock to many in the New Haven community. For the NHPD, this was the first deadly officer-involved shooting in 20 years. Controversies surrounding Mr. Conley’s death and the actions of the law enforcement officers involved continue; The Connecticut Inspector General’s Office has yet to publish a final report on the investigating the shooting.
