By James Tinley
Register Staff
MILFORD — A city police officer was justified in May when he fired one round from his gun, injuring a New Haven Avenue man who was holding what was later revealed to be a fake gun during a domestic dispute with his wife, State’s Attorney Kevin Lawlor announced Tuesday.
"After reviewing all of the information, I determined the officer acted appropriately under the circumstances," Lawlor said.
State police investigated the shooting that occurred on May 12, 2007, in which Sgt. Daniel Sharoh shot 37-year-old Roger Cadrin. a man who was involved in a domestic dispute with his wife.The Central District Major Crime Squad of the state police presented its report to the Milford-Ansonia Judicial District State’s Attorney Office, which conducted a joint investigation and made the ultimate finding.
Sharoh, a 14-year veteran of the force, was the first officer to respond to a call of a domestic dispute at 1145 New Haven Ave. Shortly after Sharoh arrived, Cadrin ran out of his house with what appeared to be a gun in one hand and knife in the other, authorities said. He was pointing the gun at the back of his wife, who he followed out of the house. Cadrin was told to drop the gun several times, but he refused, which prompted Sharoh to fire one shot from his duty weapon, Lawlor said. Cadrin fell to the ground after being shot in the hip and was taken into custody by officers that arrived shortly thereafter. The gun found next to Cadrin was later identified as a Daisey 25 plastic shot firearm replica, Lawlor said.
To use "deadly force," an officer must reasonably believe that he or someone else is in danger from someone using deadly force on them, according to state statute.
State police firearms examiners concluded in their report that the gun in question, "strongly resembled a Beretta ... semiautomatic pistol and only with close inspection when held in the hand could it be distinguished that it is not a firearm."
"No law enforcement officer ever wants to use any type of deadly force … but an officer’s hand may be forced," said Lt. J. Paul Vance, state police spokesman.
Cadrin was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital and has since been released. He faces attempted assault, reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct charges in Superior Court. The ruling that the shooting by Sharoh was justified has no bearing on the case against Cadrin, Lawlor said.
After the shooting, Sharoh was placed on "administrative duties," and no representative from the Milford Police Department was immediately available to say if the officer was placed back on regular duty.
Vance said each police department has its own policy on such matters.
"Sometimes it’s so the department can do an internal investigation … some will do it to afford the officer time to regroup, because again, it’s an extremely difficult situation for any officer to go through."