BRIDGEPORT — A Bridgeport police officer was justified in shooting at a man who charged at him while wielding two knives last year, the state Office of the Inspector General said in a report.
Officer Israel Colon, then 28, responded to Birdseye Street the morning of May 16, 2024, for a report of a man acting erratically, knocking on doors and waving two large knives, according to the Office of the Inspector General. When Colon got out of his cruiser, he tried to speak to the man, later identified as Dale Stephenson, and Stephenson “began sprinting directly at Colon with a knife in each hand and raised over his head,” Inspector General Eliot D. Prescott wrote in the final report, which was released Monday.
Colon yelled at Stephenson, tried to move backward to keep his distance, but Stephenson “closed the distance very rapidly,” the inspector general said. As the two were within 5 feet of each other, Colon fired three times at Stephenson, according to the report.
Police found two knives, each with 8-inch blades, at the scene, the report states. Officers also found a black sword with a 28-inch blade on the northern side of Birdseye Street, according to the report.
“There is simply no doubt that this was a legally justified shooting,” Prescott wrote. Prescott said Colon was charged at by Stephenson almost immediately, and had no time to retreat or attempt to de-escalate the situation. He also noted that there were not other officers in a position to protect him if he wanted to use non-lethal force, “Nor did he realistically have enough time to do so.”
He played no role in creating the necessity for the use of deadly physical force,” Prescott wrote. “The potentially deadly situation was upon him immediately after he stepped out of his cruiser, and he was justified in using deadly physical force to protect himself.”
Stephenson was charged with first-degree assault, second-degree reckless endangerment and second-degree breach of peace in the incident. Judicial records as of Monday indicated that he has pleaded guilty to attempt to commit second-degree assault and carrying a dangerous weapon.
Stephenson is next scheduled to appear at state Superior Court in Bridgeport Sept. 18, according to judicial records.
Police were called to Birdseye Street at around 6 a.m., the report states.
“Stephenson was suffering from a mental health crisis and was likely under the influence of intoxicating substances,” Prescott wrote in the report.
Footage from the incident showed Colon calling for additional units from his cruiser as Stephenson was standing in the middle of the road. Officer Darryl Wilson Jr., arrived at the scene just as Colon was getting out of his cruiser, the Office of the Inspector General said.
