Suspect in shooting of New Haven officer, arrested in Hartford

For the first time in three years, a New Haven police officer has been shot in the line of duty. Fortunately, the officer is recovering at home and after a 12-hour manhunt, the suspect is in custody.

Police said they were notified around 1:30 a.m. of a car crash near the intersection of Chapel Street and Blatchley Avenue in the Fair Haven neighborhood.

Officer Chad Curry got to the scene first, and shortly after, police said the car's driver opened fire. Curry was struck twice, once in the shoulder and once in the ear. Police said Curry then returned fire and the suspect ran from the scene.

The suspect that shot Curry and ran from the scene has been identified as 36-year-old Jose Claudio of New Haven.

Claudio is charged with assault in the first degree, assault of a public safety officer, criminal possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit, unlawful discharge of a firearm and reckless endangerment after allegedly shooting Curry. Claudio is being held on a $1 million bond and is expected to be arraigned Tuesday.

Claudio has had previous convictions in his past as in 2-12 he was arrested for Conspiracy to Commit Sale of Drugs and was convicted in 2014. He also has misdemeanor convictions as in 2013, he was convicted of Disorderly Conduct and in 2019, Breach of Peace.

Police said Curry heard a car crash, while on patrol in Fair Haven, and drove down Chapel Street to investigate. That's when he encountered Claudio running from the crashed, stolen car he was in.

In the dash cam video released Friday afternoon, it's clear that roughly 30 seconds after his initial contact with Claudio, the suspect opened fire on Officer Curry, unprovoked, while the officer was still in his cruiser. The suspect fled on foot but not before he and the injured officer exchanged perhaps two dozen gunshots

Due to the search for the suspect, police issued a temporary shelter-in-place order for residents living within the perimeter of the investigation which was then lifted around 12:30 p.m.

A shelter-in-place was also issued for the John Martinez Magnet School and the Family Academy Middle School due to the police activity, but officials said classes are proceeding as normal.

The area of Chapel Street and Blatchley Avenue is still closed for evidence processing, police said.

Several investigations are taking place following the shooting, including a criminal and a state-wide standard investigation from state officials since the officer returned fire. The Office of the Inspector General will also investigate the incident.

"Nobody should be shot, but when somebody shoots at an officer they're extremely reckless, and we need to do everything possible to get this person in custody," Jacobson said about the investigation.

"We so often talk about officers putting their lives at risk and I think that often sounds cliché but something like what happened last night when it occurs it makes us realize just how important the officers are to the safety of our community," said Mayor Justin Elicker (D-New Haven).

Jacobson said fellow officers were at the hospital when Curry was discharged.

Curry is an officer who was celebrated in July when he used de-escalation training that each New Haven officer has received to diffuse a potentially suicidal situation. A man was holding a knife to himself and asked the police to kill him. But Curry calmly got the man to drop the knife. And he was handed off to an EMS crew who started the process of getting him the medical help he needed.

The last New Haven officer shot in the line of duty was Captain Anthony Duff, in August of 2019. He endured a long recovery and retired shortly after.