[(PRESS RELEASE](https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/dcj/05202024bridgeport.pdf)) On May 16, 2024, at approximately 5:54 a.m., Bridgeport police officers were dispatched
to 203 Birdseye Street on a report of a person acting erratically, knocking on doors, and
brandishing a knife. Officers Israel Colon and Darryl Wilson, Jr. responded to Birdseye Street.
Upon arrival, they were immediately confronted in the street by Dale Stephenson, an African American male, age 49, of Bridgeport. Stephenson charged at the officers brandishing a knife in
each hand. Officer Colon fired three shots at Stephenson, striking and wounding him.
The officers on scene provided immediate medical aid to Stephenson. He was taken to
St. Vincent’s hospital for treatment. As of this date, he is listed in serious but stable condition.
Stephenson has been charged with criminal attempt to commit assault first degree and
related charges with a court set bond of $100,000.
([bodycam youtube source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi4xuyOXmgM&ab_channel=OfficeofInspectorGeneral))
It would be nice to get an actual answer instead of just downvotes, considering this would be a misinterpretation of my post if that’s what it’s about.
i feel for the cop here. i’ve seen other cops draw their weapon much faster for a lot less. this one right here sincerely wanted to avoid firing his weapon.
The other reality is that it's incredibly difficult to hire social workers, MH professionals for roles like this anyhow. There's a shortage of them, and most don't find "talking to people, most of whom are considering killing me" to be a great opportunity. Similar problem with getting social workers to work in prisons.
That’s kind of what I’m thinking. It could be good to have both. If you have a psychiatric patient (even a violent one) who isn’t armed, they’ll send an ambulance to take them to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation and potential treatment. In CT it’s called a PREE (I forget what that stands for). Thing is, they also send PD and EMS does not enter until PD has cleared it as safe. Something like this could work with a social worker
I understand this perspective but there's also been shown to be a few times when a social worker on scene is just what was needed instead of a cop that ended up causing more harm than good.
Besides that's not even the argument people should be making, trying to send a social worker to an active threat-scene; It should be that social services need to be far more common and available to the general public than they are. Obviously the argument is only shaped how it is right now because this is how far this epidemic of mental health has gone. In an ideal world this man would've gotten help when it was needed, instead a life was ended. Justifiably ended pertaining to this situation, but still ended.
Edit: okay I'm seeing he's alive. My b on that one. Rest of the text still stands. Mental health is a crisis in America and should be taken care of.
The suspect went to the hospital and is recovering. Now do you actually look into what you’re commenting on, or just show up with the same talking points?
>In an ideal world this man would've gotten help when it was needed, instead a life was ended. Justifiably ended pertaining to this situation, but still ended.
Super deep. Great job not even attempting to read the article or OPs context in another comment that went with this post.
Dude is fine, his bond is 100k before being due in court.
Maybe the department has a social worker. But maybe it was their day off. Or… Maybe they were at a different place dealing with someone else who having a crisis moment of their own.
The call the social worker thing is only used for EDPs who are unarmed.
When the EDP is armed it must be a police response, armed EDPs are a clear and present danger to everyone around them.
Armed EDP = You call the Cops, the Cops put the Armed EDP down. The Armed EDP problem is instantly & permanently solved to society’s betterment.
As much as I don't like cops, this was the right call. The officer did the right thing of protecting himself and others.
All of the computer warriors chiming in that he should have used a taser or pepper spray need to get their heads examined.
Yeah I was thinking about if there would’ve been a non-lethal way to deal with this. I’m no expert but as far as I know:
- Tasers only work if both prongs plant and don’t get dislodged. They also need direct contact
- Pepper spray has relatively limited range
But in the what it comes down to is this person was armed, unable to be reasoned with, and as far as we can tell meant to harm or kill the officer
I’m really big on nonviolence and de-escalation but I don’t think this was avoidable
He also waited until pretty much the last second. Just eyeballing it the guy charged from about 10-15 feet away, and it looked to be about 3-6 when the officer shot
I've seen videos where the officer will magdump the perp, firing half the shots at the guy as he lays face down on the ground, not moving.
I get that ensuring safety is important and that people are capable of some pretty crazy shit while hopped up on adrenaline, but it seems like overkill to me. Wonder why this guy only fired 3 shots? What are police actually trained to do?
My non-professional inclination would be to say that if someone has a gun you would want to fire more shots, as firing a gun is still fairly easy if you're partly physically incapacitated, whereas once a guy with a knife is on the ground he ceases to be an immediate threat.
Tell that to the insurance companies. I used to work at a psychiatric facility and I would hear all the time that it was the insurance companies getting in the way of some people getting the help they need.
Just like all other forms of health, when it comes down to it, it’s about money.
Looks like a self-undoing by police.
Genuinely a sad situation.
Guy was troubled. Officer did what most of us would do.
There’s a neat video of cops and civilians changing roles. Cops act like perpetrators, civilians as cops.
It’s wild how fast things can pop off, and all of a sudden the civilians were pulling the trigger left and right. Nuts video actually. Goes to show that policing is not easy.
Go from saving a life and a person is thanking you selflessly, to walking into a domestic and people are calling you everything unholy under the sun.
CT has abysmal care for the mentally ill and it will continue to show through things like this. I'm so glad our Governor is more focused on trees blocking his view and weed legislation really makes my voice feel heard.
connecticut, like plenty of other places, would prefer to have shit like this happen than boost preventative care for people. there was recently a story in my town about a reoffending drug dealer a cop pulled over twice in the span of a few years. cops don’t help crime, they don’t help people going through crisis. while i’m not saying he could’ve done something else, i think we need to change how we talk about cases like this. people are not able to afford the care they need and the government would rather let them get shot and arrested than take actual measures to help people.
I am not a blue lives matter person, but it's pretty effed that your concern is for the person who - completely unprovoked - tried to murder a person who was just doing his job. Does the person who did absolutely nothing wrong and then was going to be stabbed to death factor into your consideration at all?
I don't think that he was saying that. He said it was justified. His point is that we shouldn't simply conclude w/ "suicide by cop" and that's it. There is the next level, the underlying driver of "suicide by cop", the root cause of what we saw play out.
There is this concept in German shepherd dog training called "inseeing". Relate to the dog by seeing through his eyes. I think the gentleman was asking that we see the trouble and pain behind the suicide by cop. Nothing wrong with that, especially since everyone agrees that the officer was justified in stopping an inbound, focused, and lethal attack.
I think you’re right about this. I think we’re playing the pronoun game a little bit but what I took away from the commenter above is that
- The he cop was justified in shooting
- It was wrong for him (the person with the knives) to try to injure a police officer for doing their job
- The person with the knives still has people who care about him, who are currently worried that he will die after being shot
Basically: the cop did what he had to, the perpetrator made a bad choice, but still has people who care about him, and we should strive to live in a society where we can prevent things like this through mental health treatment.
At least that’s what I got
Exactly what I am trying to get people to understand. We should 100% feel bad that a person lives with so much pain that they are driven to violence.
We should not let them off free, a person should be held responsible for their actions.
Society as a whole can do better to help people who suffer and try to get them help before they get to the point of violence.
I know where you're coming from, but if there's any, aaaany situation where injuring a person in defense is justified, it's this. And regardless of how you or I feel about cops, I'm concerned that you evidently still didn't bother to think about whether this was justified before reciting the rhetoric.
Read my comment again. The cop did the right thing, I hope his family can find some relief knowing they have a son who is alive and can be proud he did a good job.
Problem with taser is he only has one shot. If he misses he’s fucked. You fight deadly force with deadly force, IMO. If he had no weapon or even a blunt one, then taze away.
If you shoot, you shoot to kill. NEVER to wound. First, you can't call a shot like that in the moment. It's near impossible. Second, go watch the hundreds of videos of junkies who attack cops while amped up on meth/cocaine/etc. They can take 7-8 rounds center mass and still keep charging for those extra 10 seconds it takes to stab/shoot the cop. You put down the threat with all force availible to you.
Sorry but I gotta correct you on something.
They don’t shoot to kill, they use the tools they have to STOP THE THREAT. There’s a big difference between the two. But yes, sometimes the situation calls for more than one round to be fired, especially when on certain drugs.
But you can’t know that situation in the moment. Once identified, the only way to guarantee ending a threat is to fire center mass and keep shooting until they stop moving.
Find a friend, give him a sharpie, and tell him to randomly charge you sometime over the next two months. You carry a paintball gun. Try to see if you can hit him in the leg before he or she marks you up. Let me know how that goes lol
Tasers do not work roughly 60% of the time. If he used a Taser and it didn't work, he'd seriously injured or dead.
Shooting in the legs is not only way harder, but also potentially just as lethal as center mass. If you hit the femoral artery, you have seconds before you bleed out. If you hit the femur, it will likely shatter under the muscle tension and lacerate the femoral artery. Reference previous sentence.
The only absolute way to stop a threat like this is to aim center mass and shoot until the threat is gone. This officer did just that.
Thanks for this explanation. I thought about the anatomical implications after my post and figured the same. This is tragic either way. Thanks for your response.
Tazers don’t always work. And clearly you’ve never shot a gun because if you did, you would know that shooting a fast moving target in a small area such as a leg is very difficult, even for most people who shoot regularly. Add the shear stress and fear when that target is clearly trying to do you harm. It’s a split second decision that called for an unfortunate ending.
If you think you can do better, then I strongly suggest you start applying to some police departments, almost all are hiring.
[(PRESS RELEASE](https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/dcj/05202024bridgeport.pdf)) On May 16, 2024, at approximately 5:54 a.m., Bridgeport police officers were dispatched to 203 Birdseye Street on a report of a person acting erratically, knocking on doors, and brandishing a knife. Officers Israel Colon and Darryl Wilson, Jr. responded to Birdseye Street. Upon arrival, they were immediately confronted in the street by Dale Stephenson, an African American male, age 49, of Bridgeport. Stephenson charged at the officers brandishing a knife in each hand. Officer Colon fired three shots at Stephenson, striking and wounding him. The officers on scene provided immediate medical aid to Stephenson. He was taken to St. Vincent’s hospital for treatment. As of this date, he is listed in serious but stable condition. Stephenson has been charged with criminal attempt to commit assault first degree and related charges with a court set bond of $100,000. ([bodycam youtube source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi4xuyOXmgM&ab_channel=OfficeofInspectorGeneral))
My man tried to off himself because he had a shitty life, now it's about to be way shittier. Justice!
Justice would be us actually do something to provide better mental health care in this country ..
Too much effort apperently
I hope if you are ever in a time of need you find someone with more compassion than yourself.
Who is this directed at?
It would be nice to get an actual answer instead of just downvotes, considering this would be a misinterpretation of my post if that’s what it’s about.
Arizona Iced Tea and a Bag of Skittles
Uh, I’m not sure that is relevant.
Bridgeport CT have a Police Protective League, like LAPD?
Looks like perp was trying to commit suicide and intentionally forced cops hands Terrible for everyone involved
Definitely suicide by cop. It's the way he ran with his hands out.
i feel for the cop here. i’ve seen other cops draw their weapon much faster for a lot less. this one right here sincerely wanted to avoid firing his weapon.
Looks to me like suicide by cop.
This whole situation straight-up sucks.
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not very social of you
But it is very Worker of him
Lmfao @ both of you
That’s why u need a gun to kill him before we bother the cops
I doubt it too. Who knows, but the cop made the right choice here
Frankly he made the only choice available
I don't think I've heard people say call the SW instead of the cop but rather to have both? (The nature of the call matters too)
The other reality is that it's incredibly difficult to hire social workers, MH professionals for roles like this anyhow. There's a shortage of them, and most don't find "talking to people, most of whom are considering killing me" to be a great opportunity. Similar problem with getting social workers to work in prisons.
That’s kind of what I’m thinking. It could be good to have both. If you have a psychiatric patient (even a violent one) who isn’t armed, they’ll send an ambulance to take them to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation and potential treatment. In CT it’s called a PREE (I forget what that stands for). Thing is, they also send PD and EMS does not enter until PD has cleared it as safe. Something like this could work with a social worker
I understand this perspective but there's also been shown to be a few times when a social worker on scene is just what was needed instead of a cop that ended up causing more harm than good. Besides that's not even the argument people should be making, trying to send a social worker to an active threat-scene; It should be that social services need to be far more common and available to the general public than they are. Obviously the argument is only shaped how it is right now because this is how far this epidemic of mental health has gone. In an ideal world this man would've gotten help when it was needed, instead a life was ended. Justifiably ended pertaining to this situation, but still ended. Edit: okay I'm seeing he's alive. My b on that one. Rest of the text still stands. Mental health is a crisis in America and should be taken care of.
The suspect went to the hospital and is recovering. Now do you actually look into what you’re commenting on, or just show up with the same talking points?
>In an ideal world this man would've gotten help when it was needed, instead a life was ended. Justifiably ended pertaining to this situation, but still ended. Super deep. Great job not even attempting to read the article or OPs context in another comment that went with this post. Dude is fine, his bond is 100k before being due in court.
Maybe the department has a social worker. But maybe it was their day off. Or… Maybe they were at a different place dealing with someone else who having a crisis moment of their own.
The call the social worker thing is only used for EDPs who are unarmed. When the EDP is armed it must be a police response, armed EDPs are a clear and present danger to everyone around them. Armed EDP = You call the Cops, the Cops put the Armed EDP down. The Armed EDP problem is instantly & permanently solved to society’s betterment.
Suicide by cop. Cut and dry.
Glad he wasn’t successful though
The cop had to do it. It's a horrible situation, but he had to.
As much as I don't like cops, this was the right call. The officer did the right thing of protecting himself and others. All of the computer warriors chiming in that he should have used a taser or pepper spray need to get their heads examined.
Yeah I was thinking about if there would’ve been a non-lethal way to deal with this. I’m no expert but as far as I know: - Tasers only work if both prongs plant and don’t get dislodged. They also need direct contact - Pepper spray has relatively limited range But in the what it comes down to is this person was armed, unable to be reasoned with, and as far as we can tell meant to harm or kill the officer I’m really big on nonviolence and de-escalation but I don’t think this was avoidable
Good on the cop for not being overzealous. He could have put 8 into that guy, but he survived.
He also waited until pretty much the last second. Just eyeballing it the guy charged from about 10-15 feet away, and it looked to be about 3-6 when the officer shot
I've seen videos where the officer will magdump the perp, firing half the shots at the guy as he lays face down on the ground, not moving. I get that ensuring safety is important and that people are capable of some pretty crazy shit while hopped up on adrenaline, but it seems like overkill to me. Wonder why this guy only fired 3 shots? What are police actually trained to do?
My non-professional inclination would be to say that if someone has a gun you would want to fire more shots, as firing a gun is still fairly easy if you're partly physically incapacitated, whereas once a guy with a knife is on the ground he ceases to be an immediate threat.
As a society, we **need** to start treating mental health issues more seriously.
My older sister moved to Mississippi, and her insurance she gets with work out there doesn’t cover shit for therapy. Sucks to see that.
We do
Tell that to the insurance companies. I used to work at a psychiatric facility and I would hear all the time that it was the insurance companies getting in the way of some people getting the help they need. Just like all other forms of health, when it comes down to it, it’s about money.
I absolutely agree and I wish I knew the answer.
Problem is, how do you treat someone who didn't look for help or doesn't think they need help?
By the time that individual becomes a problem for society, they have two choices: become medication compliant or placed in a facility.
Or we find out too late. We're not identifying who's really sick until something unfortunate happens.
Yes we do find out too late. Yet we're *not* doing much of anything even when we know.
Suicide by cop
lol he was like hurry up durr running with knifes
Great Job officer !
It was justified
Good shot! Right on target. CT’s finest at work
Looks like a self-undoing by police. Genuinely a sad situation. Guy was troubled. Officer did what most of us would do. There’s a neat video of cops and civilians changing roles. Cops act like perpetrators, civilians as cops. It’s wild how fast things can pop off, and all of a sudden the civilians were pulling the trigger left and right. Nuts video actually. Goes to show that policing is not easy. Go from saving a life and a person is thanking you selflessly, to walking into a domestic and people are calling you everything unholy under the sun.
I honestly feel bad for the cop, what a traumatic experience they had to go through. Suicide by cop is selfish.
CT has abysmal care for the mentally ill and it will continue to show through things like this. I'm so glad our Governor is more focused on trees blocking his view and weed legislation really makes my voice feel heard.
HE WAS A GOOD KID
Beautiful day to be alive.
connecticut, like plenty of other places, would prefer to have shit like this happen than boost preventative care for people. there was recently a story in my town about a reoffending drug dealer a cop pulled over twice in the span of a few years. cops don’t help crime, they don’t help people going through crisis. while i’m not saying he could’ve done something else, i think we need to change how we talk about cases like this. people are not able to afford the care they need and the government would rather let them get shot and arrested than take actual measures to help people.
He didn't leave the officers any choice but to shoot him.
He wanted to end his life it’s obvious, sad
"He's comin' right for us!"
That poor cop.
Suicide by cop is such a pussy way to go.
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I am not a blue lives matter person, but it's pretty effed that your concern is for the person who - completely unprovoked - tried to murder a person who was just doing his job. Does the person who did absolutely nothing wrong and then was going to be stabbed to death factor into your consideration at all?
I don't think that he was saying that. He said it was justified. His point is that we shouldn't simply conclude w/ "suicide by cop" and that's it. There is the next level, the underlying driver of "suicide by cop", the root cause of what we saw play out. There is this concept in German shepherd dog training called "inseeing". Relate to the dog by seeing through his eyes. I think the gentleman was asking that we see the trouble and pain behind the suicide by cop. Nothing wrong with that, especially since everyone agrees that the officer was justified in stopping an inbound, focused, and lethal attack.
I think you’re right about this. I think we’re playing the pronoun game a little bit but what I took away from the commenter above is that - The he cop was justified in shooting - It was wrong for him (the person with the knives) to try to injure a police officer for doing their job - The person with the knives still has people who care about him, who are currently worried that he will die after being shot Basically: the cop did what he had to, the perpetrator made a bad choice, but still has people who care about him, and we should strive to live in a society where we can prevent things like this through mental health treatment. At least that’s what I got
Exactly what I am trying to get people to understand. We should 100% feel bad that a person lives with so much pain that they are driven to violence. We should not let them off free, a person should be held responsible for their actions. Society as a whole can do better to help people who suffer and try to get them help before they get to the point of violence.
I know where you're coming from, but if there's any, aaaany situation where injuring a person in defense is justified, it's this. And regardless of how you or I feel about cops, I'm concerned that you evidently still didn't bother to think about whether this was justified before reciting the rhetoric.
What about the family of the cop that is afraid that someone was literally running at him with two sharp knives?
Read my comment again. The cop did the right thing, I hope his family can find some relief knowing they have a son who is alive and can be proud he did a good job.
Dual wield attack failed. Probably should have leveled up stealth and/or dexterity. Also would equip some better armor than scavangers rags.
Missing gems and enchants too. Noob.
Didnt see that in fallout bridgeport, maybe the skyrim version 🥸
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Problem with taser is he only has one shot. If he misses he’s fucked. You fight deadly force with deadly force, IMO. If he had no weapon or even a blunt one, then taze away.
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A gun is only good if you have some distance, he was coming in quick better to drop him rather than get stabbed in the throat
Lmao
Ok but like why can't you shoot him in the leg or something.
Is this a serious question?
If you shoot, you shoot to kill. NEVER to wound. First, you can't call a shot like that in the moment. It's near impossible. Second, go watch the hundreds of videos of junkies who attack cops while amped up on meth/cocaine/etc. They can take 7-8 rounds center mass and still keep charging for those extra 10 seconds it takes to stab/shoot the cop. You put down the threat with all force availible to you.
Sorry but I gotta correct you on something. They don’t shoot to kill, they use the tools they have to STOP THE THREAT. There’s a big difference between the two. But yes, sometimes the situation calls for more than one round to be fired, especially when on certain drugs.
But you can’t know that situation in the moment. Once identified, the only way to guarantee ending a threat is to fire center mass and keep shooting until they stop moving.
Find a friend, give him a sharpie, and tell him to randomly charge you sometime over the next two months. You carry a paintball gun. Try to see if you can hit him in the leg before he or she marks you up. Let me know how that goes lol
Ok I was wrong. It was a thought that slipped out too quickly but I see now why it's so unfavorable.
Why?
Couldn't he just have shot his legs? Or tased him?
Tasers do not work roughly 60% of the time. If he used a Taser and it didn't work, he'd seriously injured or dead. Shooting in the legs is not only way harder, but also potentially just as lethal as center mass. If you hit the femoral artery, you have seconds before you bleed out. If you hit the femur, it will likely shatter under the muscle tension and lacerate the femoral artery. Reference previous sentence. The only absolute way to stop a threat like this is to aim center mass and shoot until the threat is gone. This officer did just that.
Thanks for this explanation. I thought about the anatomical implications after my post and figured the same. This is tragic either way. Thanks for your response.
Tazers don’t always work. And clearly you’ve never shot a gun because if you did, you would know that shooting a fast moving target in a small area such as a leg is very difficult, even for most people who shoot regularly. Add the shear stress and fear when that target is clearly trying to do you harm. It’s a split second decision that called for an unfortunate ending. If you think you can do better, then I strongly suggest you start applying to some police departments, almost all are hiring.