Bodycam: Teen Shoots at Conn. Police Before Officer Returns Fire

Newly released video captures New Britain police officers chasing two masked and armed suspects through a parking lot and coming under fire before a detective shot and wounded the alleged shooter.

What to know

  • New Britain police body camera footage captured officers chasing after two armed suspects in an attempted robbery shooting leading to a detective returning fire when one of the suspects began shooting.
  • Officers had responded to reports of gunfire at a home and quickly connected two fleeing masked suspects to the earlier incident before chasing them through a parking lot.
  • The wounded suspect and an 18-year-old accomplice face multiple firearm-related charges after police recovered guns, shell casings and a high-capacity magazine.

A fleeing masked teen suspected in an earlier shooting during an attempted robbery was wounded by Connecticut police after opening fire at officers during an incident that was captured by body-worn cameras.

The Officer of the Inspector General released footage of the June 24 shooting involving New Britain police. A 17-year-old male is expected to survive after being struck by return fire from a detective during a foot chase.

According to the Inspector General, the incident happened just before 3 p.m. after reports of a gunfire at a home, the New Haven Register reports. When officers arrived at the scene, they found spent shell casings on the street and bullet holes on the home's exterior.

Shortly after that, police received another call concerning two suspicious males in masks and hoodies. Responding officers tried to stop two males matching the description, but the pair fled on foot.

An officer on a bicycle and three officers in an unmarked cruiser chased after the two suspects. During the pursuit, the officers in the cruiser exited their vehicle and took up the chase on foot through a parking lot.

That's when one of the suspects began shooting at police. Plainclothes Det. Jeffrey Nedderman, who was unable to pull on his ballistic vest that included his body-worn camera, returned fire, striking the shooter multiple times.

The wounded 17-year-old suspect was rushed to the hospital and underwent surgery. He's expected to survive his injuries.

Officer Joseph Milhomens, who was on a bicycle, was able to chase down and tackle the second suspect, identified as 18-year-old Ossain Gayle. Police recovered a handgun with a high-capacity magazine from Gayle, and a handgun and spent shell casings were recovered next to the shot 17-year-old suspect.

The 17-year-old was charged with criminal attempt at assault in the first degree, unlawful discharge of a firearm and other offenses. Gayle also faces multiple charges, including illegal possession of a firearm and possession of a high-capacity magazine.

About the Author

Joe Vince

Joining Endeavor Business Media in 2018, Joe has worked on the company's city services publications. He began working at OFFICER.com as the assistant editor. Before starting at Endeavor, Joe had worked for a variety of print and online news outlets, including the Indianapolis Star, the South Bend Tribune, Reddit and Patch.com.
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