Connecticut State Police Trooper justified in shooting suspect during Dec. 2023 incident
By: \-----
Killingly, CT - The state's inspector general has determined a state trooper was justified when he shot a suspect who pointed a gun at him after the suspect took off running from a gas station in Killingly in Dec. 2023.
The incident began on the afternoon of Dec. 30, 2023, at Chucky's Mobil gas station at 601 Hartford Pike.
Trooper Joseph Godbout noticed a car at the gas station that was connected to robberies in Putnam and in Foster, Rhode Island.
Trooper Godbout pulled his cruiser behind the car and activated his lights.
At that time, the driver, 41-year-old Ruben Muller, got out and began walking into the convenience store at the gas station, according to the report by the inspector general.
The trooper asked Muller to come back to the car and when he attempeted to detain him, Muller took off, running around the building and through a Taco Bell drive-thru lane.
The incident was captured by the trooper's body-worn camera.
Trooper Godbout used a Taser to try and stop Muller, but it was ineffective.
Muller continued to run and ran into the path of a pickup truck that knocked him to the ground.
When Trooper Godbout caught up to him, Muller reached for a gun that was hidden in his pants and pointed it at the trooper, according to the inspector general.
It was then that the trooper pulled his gun and shot Muller once in the chest.
Muller survived being shot and was released from the hospital about a week later.
On Friday, the inspector general ruled that Trooper Godbout reasonably believed his life was in danger and was justified in shooting Muller during the incident.