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Ansonia Shooting: Preliminary Report and Body Camera Footage Released by Connecticut Office of the Inspector General

Bridgeport Police Pursuit Ends in Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting in Ansonia

ANSONIA, Conn. (WTNH) — The Connecticut Office of the Inspector General has recently made public its preliminary report along with the body camera footage of a tragic officer-involved shooting incident that took place in Ansonia on Sunday.

According to the report, the incident began when officers were conducting a thorough investigation into weapons and narcotics around 5:15 p.m. in the Oak Street area of Bridgeport. During the operation, the officers attempted to make a motor vehicle stop on a Mercedes-Benz SUV, driven by 41-year-old Jonathan Mark Lewis Bell.

As officers tried to initiate the traffic stop, Bell suddenly accelerated and fled northbound on Route 8, leading the police on a high-speed pursuit through multiple towns and cities in an attempt to evade capture.

The dramatic chase came to a halt when Bell crashed into a residential property located in the 200 block of Division Street in Ansonia. Reacting swiftly, Bridgeport Police Officers Matthew Hoffman, Wilberto Rivera-Colon, and Chris Robinson approached Bell, urging him to show his hands.

However, Bell defied the officers’ commands and refused to comply, reaching for an unspecified object. As a result, the three officers were compelled to discharge their firearms in an attempt to neutralize the threat.

Following the shooting, Bell was immediately transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The medical examiner’s office determined that Bell’s cause of death was attributed to gunshot wounds sustained in his head and torso, ruling it a homicide.

The investigation into this tragic incident involves several law enforcement agencies, including the Office of Inspector General, Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Connecticut State Police Central District Major Crime Squad, Ansonia Police Department, Bridgeport Police Department, and the Milford Judicial District State’s Attorney’s Office.

Please note that this is an ongoing investigation, and News 8 will provide regular updates as more information becomes available.