Waterbury, CT Mall Shooting Press Conference Criticized as “PR Infomercial”
Republished with permission from AbleChild
Five people were shot at Brass Mill Center mall and a stunned community looked to law enforcement and state leaders for answers. Instead, the people got a press conference that felt more like a marketing campaign than a serious response to a horrific tragedy.
Governor Ned Lamont and Waterbury city officials took the stage, but instead of explaining why active shooter drills apparently failed, why the 19-year-old shooter, Tajuan Washington, was free on bond, or why police still haven’t found the weapon used in the shooting, most of the time was spent pushing for new grants and funding for conflict resolution programs. The event quickly shifted from addressing the public’s urgent concerns to promoting behavioral health initiatives and obtaining nonprofit outreach grants, with little mention of the investigation’s glaring gaps.
Residents are left asking: Why did the Governor and law enforcement use the shooting incident to lobby for more money rather than providing much needed answers? For example, why weren’t tough questions about the suspect’s hidden police history or the missing gun addressed? For many in Waterbury, the press conference felt like a PR stunt—an attempt to spin the tragedy into an opportunity for funding, rather than a moment of accountability and transparency.
Until officials stop dodging the hard questions and start delivering real solutions, trust in Waterbury’s leaders and law enforcement will remain at an all-time low.
AbleChild is a 501(3) C nonprofit organization and has recently co-written landmark legislation in Tennessee, setting a national precedent for transparency and accountability in the intersection of mental health, pharmaceutical practices, and public safety.
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