New Haven board fires two more police officers for their roles in the 2022 incident that paralyzed Randy Cox
Four Connecticut officers have been fired in connection to a 2022 incident that left Randy Cox paralyzed.
According to CNN, on Wednesday (June 28), the New Haven Board of Police Commissioners voted 5-0 to release officers Oscar Diaz and Betsy Segui from duty. In a statement from Mayor Justin Elicker’s office, the cops were fired for “violations of general orders” of the police department.
On June 19, 2022, authorities were transporting Cox in a police van following his arrest on suspicion of illegally possessing a handgun, the outlet noted. While inside, Cox was handcuffed without a seatbelt. Footage from the vehicle showed Cox hit his head on the van’s back wall when it abruptly stopped. He was left paralyzed as a result, and all charges against him were later dropped.
After the announcement, Diaz and Segui’s attorney, Jeffrey Mentz, spoke with the CNN about the board’s decision. “Tonight was not the opportunity to seek what I believe to be a fair review of a difficult situation,” he said. “Having done police work for three decades, I understand the political area and fishbowl we work within, and police accountability and police responsibility has changed 180 degrees since I’ve been doing this.”
Three weeks before the board’s recent decision, former New Haven officers Jocelyn Lavandier and Luis Rivera were also voted to be terminated. “My two clients and the other two officers have been fired for a terrible injury that happened in an auto accident, which the gentlemen has been fairly compensated,” Mentz also told the outlet.
Earlier this month, the city of New Haven settled with Cox, and he was awarded $45 million. Per his lawyers, it was the largest settlement involving a police misconduct case in U.S. history. “While nothing can ever return Randy’s life to the way it was prior to this incident, with the police disciplinary process now complete, the civil lawsuit now resolved, and the comprehensive set of reforms now adopted by the police department, we have demonstrated clearly and unequivocally as a community that Randy’s life matters, that Black Lives Matter and that we are resolved to do everything in our power to ensure an incident like this never happens again,” Elicker mentioned in his statement.
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