NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut man who was the target of police gunfire that wounded his girlfriend has told authorities he was opening his car door to show his hands when the bullets began flying.
Paul Witherspoon III’s account of the April 16 shooting in New Haven is in a search warrant released Thursday and obtained by the Hartford Courant. Police say Hamden officer Devin Eaton and Yale University officer Terrance Pollack opened fire when Witherspoon abruptly got out of his car during a traffic stop related to a reported attempted armed robbery.
Witherspoon’s girlfriend, 22-year-old Stephanie Washington, was shot but survived.
Witherspoon said he wasn’t armed and had opened his car door because the window didn’t work.
The shooting has sparked several protests, including one planned for Thursday afternoon in New Haven.
