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Wrongful Death Suit Filed In Fatal West Haven Police Shooting

Omo Muhammed, center, mother of 19-year-old fatal shooting victim Mubarak Soulemane, kisses her daughter Sirah Bandeh, 9, last month, during ceremonies to honor Soulemane's life, at the First Calvary Baptist Church in New Haven.
Steven Senne
/
AP
Omo Muhammed, center, mother of 19-year-old fatal shooting victim Mubarak Soulemane, kisses her daughter Sirah Bandeh, 9, last month, during ceremonies to honor Soulemane's life, at the First Calvary Baptist Church in New Haven.

The family of a Connecticut man shot and killed by police in West Haven last month has filed a $10 million wrongful death lawsuit against the state and city police.

A state police officer shot Mubarak Soulemane at an I-95 exit ramp in West Haven in January. Police had chased him from Norwalk, after he was said to have stolen a car and was armed with a knife. Soulemane’s mother, Omo Klusum Mohammed, says her son should not have been killed.

“As a grieving mother, I pray that no other family has to experience this pain.”

Sanford Rubenstein is a New York civil rights attorney representing the family. He says that’s why they’ve filed the lawsuit.

“To set an example to other officers all over this country, that if you do what he did, fire seven shots rapidly into a car that is already blocked in, with a door that is closed, with a window that is closed and kill a victim in that car, you will be held accountable criminally. That’s what's really important to this family.”

State prosecutors have opened an investigation into the incident.

Copyright 2020 WSHU

As WSHU Public Radio’s award-winning senior political reporter, Ebong Udoma draws on his extensive tenure to delve deep into state politics during a major election year. In addition to providing long-form reports and features for WSHU, he regularly contributes spot news to NPR, and has worked at the NPR National News Desk as part of NPR’s diversity initiative.
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