West Haven police officer justified in the fatal shooting of Jovan Washington

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West Haven, CT - A West Haven police officer’s use of deadly force on a man in 2023 was deemed justified by the Office of the Inspector General, according to a report released Thursday.

The inspector general found officer Alex Triscritti was confronted with “a sudden, unexpected, and dangerous situation” when Jovan Washington reached under his mattress and grabbed a handgun, then shot another officer in the leg.

“I am frank to admit that I cannot understand why Jovan Washington would grab a gun and fire it at police. I suppose it was an act of desperation of some kind. Given the threat he posed, however, Officer Triscritti’s actions were appropriate and necessary to eliminate that threat,” Inspector General Robert J. Devlin, Jr. said in the report.

The incident happened around 2 a.m. on Dec. 1, 2023, when police responded to a domestic complaint at an apartment on Terrace Avenue.

Officers spoke with a woman who said 33-year-old Washington attempted to strangle her and would not let her leave the apartment.

Body camera showed officers go into a bedroom to speak with Washington, telling him he was going to be taken into custody and asking him if he wanted to put on a pair of pants.

Washington got out of bed, moved toward a closet and suddenly turned to reach for a gun under the mattress, authorities said. A struggle ensued, and Washington fired one shot, striking Officer Cody Bacon in the leg. Triscritti then fired multiple rounds, striking Washington.

Washington was pronounced dead at a hospital. Bacon was released from the hospital the next day.