Police investigate officer-involved shooting in Danbury

First responders block off public access to a field on Reserve Road following an officer-involved shooting on July 3, 2019. First responders block off public access to a field on Reserve Road following an officer-involved shooting on July 3, 2019. Photo: Kendra Baker / Hearst Connecticut Media Photo: Kendra Baker / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 32 Caption Close Police investigate officer-involved shooting in Danbury 1 / 32 Back to Gallery

DANBURY — For the second time in seven months, a Danbury police officer shot a suspect Wednesday.

The shooting followed a two-hour manhunt of a man in his 30s, who was armed with knives, authorities said. The man was wounded.

Wednesday’s shooting comes a little less than seven months after the December shooting of 45-year-old Paul Arbitelle, who investigators said charged at an officer with a knife during a confrontation.

Two shootings in a matter of months is rare for Danbury — but that’s where “investment in training our officers kicks in,” said Mayor Mark Boughton.

“I’m confident that our officer acted appropriately,” the mayor said. “For the officer, it’s a very traumatic thing — just as much as it is for the person shot. It’s a tough situation, but I’m a hundred percent convinced our officer took the appropriate steps.”

Wednesday’s shooting occurred near Old Ridgebury and Reserve roads around 10:45 a.m., by a recreational area on the former Union Carbide property.

Police said the wounded man, described as white, was armed with two knives and did not follow orders to drop them. His name was not released Wednesday afternoon.

The officer involved — who also was not named — was not injured, but was taken to Danbury Hospital for evaluation, Danbury Police Chief Patrick Ridenhour said.

The suspect was treated at the scene and taken to Danbury Hospital with at least one gunshot wound.

Ridenhour said the man was “conscious and speaking” before being taken to the hospital, and he was not a Danbury resident.

The incidenet started around 8:44 a.m., when several officers responded toa report of a man assaulting people at MCCA, an alcohol rehabilitation center at 38 Old Ridgebury Road, Ridenhour said.

Danbury and State Police spent about two hours looking for the suspect before finding him.

Traffic on Old Ridgebury Road was blocked between Reserve Road and Mill Plain Road for several hours as police investigated the shooting.

The Danbury police investigation was handed off to Connecticut State Police per state protocol concerning police-related shootings.

Ridenhour said state police are investigating what led to the firing of the officer’s weapon.

While they are now investigating the latest Danbury police shooting, state police still have not finalized their report on December’s fatal shooting of Arbitelle.

Danbury Police policies require a minimum 72 hours on administrative leave for an officer involved in a shooting to evaluate the incident and the officer’s physical and mental health, Ridenhour has said. After that period ends, administrators and the officer decide together whether the officer should turn to duty or stay on leave.

Boughton said a number of other public safety personnel witnessed Wednesday’s shooting and he believes the investigation will show the officer acted appropriately.

Police did not provide information about where on his body the man was hit.

“We’re still gathering information in this investigation,” said Sgt. Dwight Washington with Connecticut State Police. “More information should be available Friday.”

Police-involved shootings are rare in Danbury.

The Arbitelle shooting marked the first time in 20 years that an on-duty city police officer had shot anyone, as far as local officials could remember.

This latest shooting comes after a recent report showed that overall major crime was down 17 percent in the first five months of this year in the city compared to last year, making Danbury one of the safest metropolitan areas in the state.