Civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton delivered a eulogy and call to action on Thursday at a Bloomfield church as the family of Steven “Stevie” Jones, a Hartford resident who was killed by a police officer in February, gathered to mourn a man they called kind, dependable and loving. He was 55. Jones was the second Black man experiencing a mental health episode to be shot and killed by Hartford police in an eight day period; Everard Walker was shot on Feb. 19 in his home after a family member called 211 for help. Both men had a knife in their hands when approached by police. Sharpton and attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the Jones family, announced that they would be pursuing a legislative hearing on mental health crisis in Connecticut. Jones was suffering a mental health episode on Feb. 27 when his sister Audrey called 911 for help. He was brandishing a knife and walking slowly on a Hartford street. In body camera footage, officers initially tried to get him to deescalate the situation, saying “We don’t want to shoot you,” and “We’re gonna get you help.” At one point, an officer attempted to use a Taser on Jones, but the Taser was ineffective. The slow-moving standoff goes on for several minutes when another officer arrives on the scene, orders Jones to drop the knife and, within about 30 seconds, begins firing. He shoots him nine times. Jones died on March 3. Throughout the encounter with police, his sister Audrey can be heard screaming, “that’s my brother,” begging officers not to shoot him as she tells her brother to drop the knife. Rev. Al Sharpton delivers a eulogy for Steven Jones who was killed by a Hartford police officer in February during a mental health crisis. Credit: Laura Tillman / CT Mirror “If they didn’t come start shooting, why did you come and start shooting?” Sharpton said of the police officer who ultimately shot Jones. “How did the police that were there for minutes try to talk to Stevie, but you come and decide to execute Stevie? That don’t make sense to me.” Sharpton also asked what was driving two incidents of the same nature to happen in such a short period in Hartford. “We all know Stevie had a problem. But we want to know what problem the officer had,” Sharpton said. “We came to let this family know that we did not just come today, we’ll come back over and over again. Because if you can shoot Stevie in cold blood, you can do it to one of our loved ones. This must be treated with justice.” Audrey Jones told reporters that she regretting calling 911. “If I would have known that they were gonna to kill my brother, I would not have ever called 911 for an ambulance. I just ask that you pray for me and my family during these trying times,” she said. She also remembered her brother during the service as a devoted father and grandfather who was known to his neighbors for his warmth and “always making others feel welcome. “Stevie Jones was a wonderful man, loving, kind and compassionate,” she said. “On behalf of our entire family, we miss you deeply, Stevie and you will forever remain in our hearts.” Crump, who Sharpton referred to as Black America’s Attorney General for his work on civil rights cases, said that the case was representative of a mental health epidemic happening across the country. “We’re calling on the mayor, the police chief and everybody involved in leadership in Hartford, Connecticut, to make sure that they help heal this community. It first starts with healing this family and doing right by this family,” he said. Mayor Arunan Arulampalam, who is up for reelection and has been criticized since the shootings, was seen at the funeral gathering. Speakers acknowledged his presence, along with other community leaders. Sharpton made a point of talking about effective leadership: “The job of the leaders is not to be comfortable, but to give comfort to the uncomfortable. And if you want to be everybody’s friend, then you ought not be in a leadership position.” He pledged justice for Jones and said, “We’re gonna run some roaches out of The Hartford Police Department.” ...read more read less