MILFORD, Conn. — State prosecutors in the case against Connecticut State Trooper Brian North rested their case on Thursday, but not before listening to testimony from a high-ranked trooper who also responded to the night that Mubarak Soulemane was killed.
Trooper First Class Ross Dalling opened up about the events that led up to the 19-year-old’s death on Jan. 15, 2020.
RELATED: Jurors get close look at body cam videos taken day of fatal shooting involving Trooper Brian North
Soulemane led the police on a chase in a stolen vehicle that ended up on Campbell Ave. in West Haven. Dalling was the third trooper on the scene.
“I holstered my weapon to make my way to the driver’s side to assist Trooper North,” he told jurors.
Within seconds, another trooper fired their stun gun to no effect. Dalling said Soulemane reached for a knife and that is when North opened fire, shooting the 19-year-old through the driver’s side window. He was struck seven times.
“The plan was to stop the threat,” he said, responding to a question from prosecutors if there was a plan on how to handle the incident during which Soulemane was surrounded by troopers.
Inspector General Robert Devlin argued that there was nobody in charge of the scene and that Soulemane was sitting in his car when lethal force was used against him.
North is charged with first-degree manslaughter.
North’s defense attorney argued that everything happened within seconds and that troopers at the time thought they were dealing with a felony stop after a carjacking – which later turned out to be bad information from dispatchers.
Jurors also heard testimony from a national expert on enhancing audio and video who took a closer look at North’s body-worn camera.
“This is the first visual evidence of the first gunshot event,” Douglas Lacey said.
A forensic science examiner also testified that all the shell casings found at the scene came from North’s firearm.
The defense is expected to call its first witness on Friday.
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