Man killed by Connecticut state trooper was having mental health problems, witnesses testify

By DAVE COLLINS
Associated Press

The trial of a Connecticut state trooper who killed a man in 2020 has begun with testimony about the man’s mental illness. Trooper Brian North is charged with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Mubarak Soulemane in West Haven after a high-speed car chase. Soulemane’s mother, sister and girlfriend testified Monday that his mental health was worsening in the days before he was killed. North fired seven shots at close range into the driver’s window of a stopped car as Soulemane sat in the driver’s seat with a knife. North told investigators he believed officers on the other side of the car were in danger. The state inspector general concluded the shooting was not justified.