Connecticut officials continue investigating Meriden police shooting after fatal baseball-bat attack
Meriden residents now have a preliminary official account and released police video of the deadly July 19 encounter on Sagamore Road, but Connecticut officials have not reached a final determination about the police shooting.
The Connecticut Inspector General’s July 21 preliminary status report says Officer Anthony Offiaeli arrived at a residence during an active domestic-violence incident and found Robert Lee Jenkins III striking a prone man in the head with a baseball bat.
What happened on Sagamore Road
According to the preliminary report, Offiaeli ordered Jenkins to drop the bat four times. Jenkins did not comply and continued striking the prone man, the report says. Offiaeli then discharged his service firearm numerous times at Jenkins. Several rounds struck Jenkins, who dropped the bat and fell.
The incident occurred at approximately 10 a.m. on July 19, 2026, at a residence on Sagamore Road in Meriden. The Inspector General’s account is preliminary and should not be read as a final finding about the officer’s conduct, the legality of the shooting or criminal responsibility.
What the released videos show
The state released Officer Offiaeli’s body-camera footage and cruiser dash-camera footage with a warning that the videos contain graphic images and vulgar language that may disturb viewers.
CT Insider’s review reported that the footage shows Offiaeli arriving as Jenkins repeatedly strikes a person lying near the home’s driveway. The video shows the officer advancing with his handgun pointed toward Jenkins while shouting commands to drop the bat. Jenkins initially turns toward the officer and raises his arms, but then continues the attack, according to the report.
CT Insider reported that the shooting began about 14 seconds after Offiaeli exited his cruiser and that the footage appeared to show at least 18 rounds fired. That description comes from the news outlet’s review of the recording; the Inspector General’s preliminary report says only that the officer discharged his firearm numerous times.
Two deaths and preliminary medical findings
Jenkins was treated at the scene, taken to Hartford Hospital and died at 11:30 p.m. from multiple gunshot wounds to the torso, according to the Inspector General’s report.
The man assaulted with the bat was pronounced dead at the scene. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined his cause of death was blunt-force head injuries.
The medical examiner classified both deaths as homicides. That manner-of-death classification describes the medical examiner’s determination about how the deaths occurred; it does not by itself resolve criminal liability, the legality of the shooting or any administrative action.
Investigation remains open
The Connecticut Inspector General, Connecticut State Police Central District Major Crime Squad, Meriden Police Department and New Haven Judicial District State’s Attorney’s Office are continuing to investigate.
The July 21 report says the death certificates and toxicology results were not available when it was issued. The final investigative determination, those records and any later prosecutorial or administrative decisions remain unresolved.
For now, the released footage and preliminary report establish the state’s current account of the encounter, not the final outcome. Further conclusions will depend on the continuing investigation by the state and local agencies involved.
Sources
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