Connecticut Officer Is Found Justified In Fatal Shooting Of 18-Year-Old

A Connecticut police officer who fired through the windshield of a vehicle coming at him was justified in the use of deadly force that killed the 18-year-old driver.

Officer Layau Eulizier believed the car was going to hit him, and his life was in danger. So he opted to shoot as a deterrent.

Authorities claim, Anthony Jose Vega Cruz, the driver, went at Eulizier after fleeing a traffic stop and leading the police on a brief chase.

Hartford prosecutor, Gail Hardy's decision outraged the driver's relatives who said they would be suing Eulizier and the police department.

The family lawyer, Ben Crump, stated that it was an execution-style killing, and it was senseless as a traffic violation should not warrant deadly force.

The lawyer maintained Officer Eulizier failed in his duty to protect the rights of civilians in the most shocking of ways.

In his report, Hardy placed the blame of the incident on Vega Cruz. He determined the suspect fled from the Wethersfield Police officers pulled him over for a motor vehicle violation.

In all probability, if he had waited, then the violation would have resulted in a misdemeanor summon because Vega did not have a prior criminal record.

Hardy has not responded to email requests for comments, and the Wethersfield police have also declined to comment on the matter.

Officer Eulizier did not previously comment on the matter though in a statement to the Connecticut State Police, which was also mentioned in Hardy's report, he knew that there was nowhere to go, but he did believe the vehicle would hit him.

He was only inches from the front of the car and feared for his life, so he had to stop the driver.

Previously released dashcam footage illustrates the initial traffic stop that was before 6 pm on a rainy Saturday.

After the incident, the Wethersfield Police Chief James Cetran told the local media outlets that the plates did not match the vehicle, hence the reason for the first stop. The heavily tinted windows also aroused officer Salvatore's suspicions.

At the traffic stop, Salvatore got out and approached the vehicle, but Vega Cruz sped away.

Officer Eulizier joined the chase a quarter mile up the road. He then collided with Vega's Infiniti on the edge of the strip mall parking lot, hitting it on the driver's side.

When he got out and placed himself in front of Vega Cruz's vehicle, Eulizier fired multiple shots ending the driver's life. His attorney, Elliot Spencer, argued in court that he was justified to use deadly force.