WEST HARTFORD, CT, August 14, 2024 - The family of a man killed by a West Hartford police officer has filed a lawsuit against the officer and town seeking justice and accountability. The family is also calling for a U.S. Justice Department, Civil Rights Division investigation into the shooting based on historical evidence of racial profiling by the West Hartford Police Department since at least 2017. 

The 15-count complaint details how the actions of the town, the West Hartford Police Department and West Hartford Police Officer Andrew Teeter led to the death of Mike Alexander-Garcia, Jr. on August 8, 2023. The lawsuit alleges Officer Teeter was negligent, reckless and intentional in his killing of Alexander-Garcia.

The complaint also brings claims under the Police Accountability Act, alleging the killing of Alexander-Garcia violated his constitutional rights. The Act, passed in 2020 in response to the death of George Floyd and others, holds police officers, police departments and municipalities responsible for their violations of civil rights, including the improper use of deadly force. This is one of the first cases brought under this act.

Alexander-Garcia, 34, was killed by Officer Teeter on August 8, 2023. He was shot five times at point-blank range by Teeter, who first lifted a police dog into a car Alexander-Garcia was in and then jumped into the car himself. Alexander-Garcia was shot as the dog attacked and bit him multiple times. Alexander-Garcia, who was unarmed and did not threaten violence, repeatedly begged, "Please don't kill me ... Please officer" before the fatal shots. The killing occurred after a stationary license plate scanner alerted police to a suspected stolen vehicle in which Alexander-Garcia was a passenger. He was shot after a brief foot pursuit which ended as he entered a second vehicle - the vehicle in which the shooting took place.

Repeatedly shouting, “I’m going to f***ing shoot you,” the officer gave no other direction or command. And, as Alexander-Garcia begged for his life, the officer fired two rounds into him as shown in the body camera footage. Then - with the vehicle stopped and his pistol still pressed directly against Alexander-Garcia – the officer fired three more bullets into his body. Police body cam footage does not appear to show Alexander-Garcia threatening the police officer. It also does not appear to show the officer attempting to de-escalate the situation or use any non-lethal force such as pepper spray.

“Mike was surrendering to the police when he was shot,” said Attorney Peter Bowman, of BBB Attorneys, who is representing Alexander-Garcia’s family. “He pleaded for his life to the officer and yet Officer Teeter still chose to shoot him five times.”

After the shooting, police took seven minutes to render aid to Alexander-Garcia, according to video evidence. He was eventually pronounced dead at the scene.

An investigation into the shooting by the Connecticut Inspector General’s Office remains pending. The work status of the officer and the results of the internal affairs investigation is unknown. 

The family’s lawsuit claims that by entering the vehicle, the officer himself created the jeopardy that escalated to deadly force. The lawsuit continues to state the officer failed to follow basic departmental police procedures related to foot pursuit, moving vehicles, use of a canine and deadly force. It alleges the shooting was unjustified and excessive: “[Teeter] had no intention of apprehending Mike Alexander Garcia,” the suit says. 

"This is a classic case of officer-created jeopardy. The actions of the officer that day were not justified. He should not have entered the car, and he absolutely should not have shot and killed Mike. Mike begged the police officer not to shoot him. Yet the officer chose violence and death over de-escalation," said Bowman. "The police did not follow basic procedure, causing Mike’s unnecessary death. The family lost a son and a brother."

"The video shows Mike pleading for his life. We can only imagine his fear as the dog attacked and the officer screamed about shooting him," said Bowman. "Nothing he did that day deserved a death sentence. Mike’s family - and our entire community - deserve answers and accountability.”

Jacqueline Garcia, Mike’s mother, says she knows she can never bring her son back, but wants accountability and change. She said her son was likely scared - especially as the police dog was attacking him - and would never have hurt the police officer.

“To the officer who took my son’s life, you can’t comprehend the pain and loss you have inflicted on our family,” Jacqueline said. “I hope that through this tragedy there can be reflection and change so that no other family endures the heartache we are experiencing. My wish is for justice and accountability.”

Ken Krayeske, a partner for BBB Attorneys who is working on the matter, said that based on details of the shooting and the past record of the West Hartford Police Department, the family has requested a U.S. Justice Department civil rights investigation of the shooting and overall practices of the department. According to the State of Connecticut official Racial Profiling Prohibition Project, the West Hartford Police Department has consistently ranked above average in its use of racial profiling according to policing data. For example, the latest data available shows 46 percent of all resident traffic stops conducted by West Hartford police in 2021 were against minorities - while just 21 percent of the town’s residents were minorities. 

“We are calling on the Department of Justice to investigate policing in the Town of West Hartford. We have made an official request with the U.S. Attorney General and the Civil Right Division of the Department of Justice,” Krayeske said. “The Town has been aware of the police department’s use of racial profiling since at least 2017 and has failed to fix it - leading to a high rate of unfair, improper and potentially violent situations.”

"While the family seeks justice in the form of criminal charges, that remains under investigation with the OIG,” Krayeske said. “What we can do now is investigate these racial enforcement disparities and make our community safer. The DOJ should take this matter seriously."