Hartford mayor says officer on probation was fired after video; residents demand faster accountability and mental‑health response

The mayor of Hartford announced he had terminated Officer Magnano on the final day of the officer’s probationary period and urged the community to allow independent reviews — even as residents demanded swifter action and broader changes to policing and crisis response.

The announcement came at a city-hosted community forum convened in a circle format to allow residents to speak about two recent police shootings that have traumatized neighborhoods. “After reviewing the body‑cam footage and publicly available video, I made a determination as mayor that the actions of Officer Magnano did not rise to the level of performance that we demand of police officers here in the city of Hartford. And for that reason, we are terminating him,” the mayor said, adding the city will continue to cooperate with the state inspector general and the internal disciplinary process.

Residents reacted with anger and grief. Lori Reynolds, who identified herself as the best friend of Everard Walker’s sister, said she received a text from a friend: “Lori, they killed my brother,” and called the loss heartbreaking. Multiple speakers demanded faster, tangible accountability rather than procedural delays.

Siobhan Campbell, director of the Office of Violence Prevention, opened the event by framing the meeting as a community conversation (not a clinical healing circle) and set ground rules to allow many people to speak. Campbell said organizers had invited clinicians and community partners for post‑event support but did not secure confirmed staffing for the meeting; several local clinicians later identified themselves in the room.

Speakers at the forum urged three concurrent priorities: an independent, transparent legal review of the officer‑involved shootings; administrative and supervisory reviews of police procedures and equipment deployment; and investment in alternative responses to mental‑health crises. Alyssa Peterson pressed for an administrative review, asking why non‑lethal tools (bean‑bag launchers, shields, batons) were not deployed sooner and why some officers appeared unfamiliar with taser operation.

Mental‑health responders and clinicians in the audience urged time‑based de‑escalation and culturally informed crisis teams. Theodora Anderson Diaz, who said she works at Wheeler Health, recommended using “time as an ally” and nonconfrontational interventions that can de‑escalate encounters without armed officers.

Several attendees also criticized the police union’s rhetoric. Bridget Prince said the union president’s public remarks — that “dark times are coming” — felt threatening and underscored tension between rank‑and‑file officers and city leadership.

The mayor defended his timing and said legal counsel advised careful steps to avoid premature disciplinary action that could be reversed by litigation. He repeated his commitment to cooperate with the state inspector general and to preserve independence in the city’s civilian police review board process. He also described administrative steps to improve community engagement: splitting the city’s 311 service out from community engagement to Public Works and hiring two community organizers focused on the north and south ends of Hartford.

Organizers closed by offering follow‑up contact information for the Office of Violence Prevention and encouraging residents to pursue available supports. The inspector general’s investigation and the city’s internal review remain pending; the mayor did not make a legal determination of criminal guilt during the forum.

What’s next: the mayor said he is available to meet with families and that independent investigators will complete their reviews. Residents said they will press for faster transparency, expanded mental‑health response capacity, and clearer supervisory and training reforms within the Hartford Police Department.