General Inspector clears State Trooper in the shooting of Maxim Nowak

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Bolton, CT - A state trooper was justified in shooting an armed man in Bolton, according to the Office of the Inspector General.

The inspector general released his report on Monday that detailed the case that led to 29-year-old Maxim Nowak being shot.

“This case presents itself as another unfortunate situation where an armed person in the throes of a mental health crisis finds himself face-to-face with police officers attempting to bring the encounter to a peaceful end but finding themselves using deadly force,” the inspector general wrote in his report.

State police responded to the mental health incident on Meadow Road in Bolton on March 1, 2024, around 2:30 p.m.

The inspector general said Connecticut State Police Trooper First Class Brian Contenta fired his duty pistol multiple times at Maxim Nowak, injuring him in the hands, chest, and abdomen.

As required by statute, the Office of Inspector General investigated the incident.

The investigation established that on that day, troopers were notified by a mobile crisis center of a man at a home in Bolton who possessed a knife and wanted to harm himself.

Trooper Contenta, along with troopers Wendy Garcia-Campos and Douglas Bernier, responded to the home and encountered Nowak in the kitchen holding two knives.

His mother and father were in the house as well.

“Troopers issued verbal commands and engaged in de-escalation tactics in an attempt to get Nowak to drop the knives,” the inspector general said. “He refused to drop the knives however, and when he made a move with a knife in one hand that was indicative of a throwing maneuver, Trooper Contenta fired his weapon, and Trooper Bernier fired his Taser.”

Nowak fell to the ground screaming in pain, the inspector general said.

State troopers and members of the Bolton Fire Department and Ambulance Service of Manchester treated Nowak at the scene.

He was then transported to Hartford Hospital for further treatment.

“Based on the facts developed during the investigation, I have determined that Trooper Contenta used deadly force to defend himself, fellow troopers, and Nowak’s father from what he reasonably believed to be a threat of serious injury,” the inspector general concluded. “Accordingly, I find such use of force to be objectively reasonable and justified.”