A Connecticut State Police trooper was justified in using deadly force when he shot and wounded an armed robbery suspect last year, according to a report released Friday by the state Office of Inspector General.
The report concluded that Trooper Joseph Godbout acted appropriately when he fired a single shot at 30-year-old Ruben Muller on December 30, 2023. Muller was wanted in connection with an armed robbery in Foster, Rhode Island, and pulled a loaded revolver on Godbout in an attempt to evade arrest, the report said.
“This presented an imminent threat of death or serious injury to Trooper Godbout,” Inspector General Robert J. Devlin Jr. wrote. “I have determined that his action in firing one shot at Muller to stop that threat was a justified use of deadly force.”
The incident unfolded around 1:20 p.m. at a Mobil gas station in the Dayville section of Killingly, where Godbout spotted a vehicle linked to the Rhode Island robbery. Body camera footage shows the trooper approaching Muller, asking for his license, and informing him that he was about to be detained.
Muller tried to flee, running across the parking lot toward a nearby Taco Bell. Godbout deployed a Taser, which caused Muller to stumble, but he got up and continued running. As he fled, he was struck by a Ford F-150 pickup truck and knocked to the ground.
According to the report, a struggle followed. Muller then pulled a revolver from his pants and pointed it at Godbout. The trooper responded by firing a single round into Muller’s chest and then kicked the weapon out of his reach.
Muller was taken to Day Kimball Hospital in Putnam, then transferred to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, for treatment of multiple rib fractures. He was released a week later and taken into police custody.
The Office of Inspector General, which investigates all police-involved shootings in the state, found no wrongdoing in the trooper’s response.
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