Bodycam: Conn. Police Officers Justified in 2023 Hotel Shooting

By Josh LaBella

Source Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.

NEW LONDON, CT — City police officers were justified in shooting a man in a hotel on Frontage Road in November 2023, according to a report released Tuesday.

State Inspector General Robert Devlin Jr. said in the report that an investigation established that the use of deadly force by Officers Seth Bolduc, Joseph Nott III and Anna Agnew against Christopher Nolan was justified. He said his office would take no further action in the matter.

On Nov. 26 2023, Devlin said, officers were called to Americas Best Value Inn on Bayonet Street just before 2 p.m. for a report of a shot being fired from a second-floor window. He said arriving officers determined the person responsible for the shooting had gone next-door to the Clarion Inn on the 200 block of Frontage Road.

Devlin said officers commenced a room-by-room-search of the occupied rooms in the hotel, and while doing that met a witness who told them she knew who they were searching for. He said she identified the man as Chris, and gave them consent to search room 221, where she was staying.

Police stacked up in front of the room's door, Devlin said, and entered when it was opened by a witness, who pointed to a man by the window and said "That's him."

Devlin said officers gave multiple commands to the man by the window, identified as Nolan, to show his hands. The man refused, Devlin said, and responded by saying, "I'll shoot."

Multiple officers in the room saw Nolan raise his arm with a handgun in it, Devlin said, and so they fired at the man. He said Nolan fell to the ground, where Officer Nott used his Taser on him to facilitate him being handcuffed.

In body camera footage of the incident, a woman can be seen opening the door to let the officers into the room. Nolan can be seen in the corner and officers call to children who are standing near him, telling them to come over to their side of the room.

Officer Agnew appears to fire the first round, which was the only one discharged from her gun, according to Devlin's report. That gunshot results in Nott and Bolduc firing their weapons at Nolan as well.

In the footage, A chaotic scene ensues in the moments after the officers fire their weapons, with Nolan falling to the ground and shouting "My kids" multiple times, and multiple children can be heard crying in the room. The officers order the children and an adult out of the room as they approach Nolan.

In the video, Nolan appears to question why they shot him and starts to sit up, as officers order him to put his hands up and then order him onto his stomach. Nott then tases him and he falls to the ground once more.

In the video, As officers try to restrain Nolan, Nott asks him where his gun is, adding: "He had a gun. I absolutely saw a gun."

Nolan tells the officers in the video footage, "I don't have a gun. You shot my arm off." Nott then says, "He was saying he was going to shoot. He had something black in his right hand."

Officers move to put Nolan in handcuffs, and Nott then surveys the side of the room the suspect was on and finds a gun on the window sill near an opening, the video shows.

Nolan was struck by multiple rounds, Devlin said, but survived after nearly two weeks in the hospital.

Devlin said doctors found that Nolan suffered from gunshot wounds to his left arm, left chest, and abdomen. He said his toxicological screen was positive for cocaine and cannabinoid.

After more than half a dozen medical procedures, Devlin said, Nolan was released from the hospital into the custody of law enforcement on Dec. 9.

When interviewed by the Office of Inspector General, Devlin said, Nolan admitted to being involved in the shooting incident on at the Americas Best Value Inn. He said he claimed to have fired his gun in the air from his second-floor room in order to help a woman who was being bothered by a man in the parking lot.

Devlin said Nolan reported he went to the Clarion Inn and was trying to throw his gun through the open window when police shot him. He said he did not understand why police shot him, adding "he would never shoot police."

According to Devlin's report, the Smith & Wesson revolver Nolan had in his possession had four live rounds and one spent round in the cylinder.

From the weapons the officers were equipped with, Devlin said, the Firearms Unit at the Forensic Laboratory determined that six of the recovered 9mm shell casings were fired from Officer Nott's Glock 45 duty pistol, while one of the recovered 9mm shell casings was fired from Officer Agnew's Glock 45 duty pistol.

He said the Firearms Unit further determined that the four recovered .223 shell casings were fired from the Bushmaster .223 police rifle assigned to Officer Bolduc.

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