09:03
23 Mar
A 48-year-old Connecticut man who was reportedly acting aggressively toward patrons at the MGM Resorts International in Springfield, Massachusetts last month while in possession of a firearm was shot and killed by police outside of the casino following an exchange of gunfire.
The victim, William Tisdol, exited the MGM and was pursued by officers of the Massachusetts State Police Gaming Enforcement Unit. The foot chase escalated into a shootout, resulting in Tisdol’s death, according to the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office.
The D.A. and several law enforcement agencies are investigating the fatal shooting and have released a statement promising transparency: “The investigation will rely on nationally-recognized best practices for conducting an impartial and transparent investigation into what led to a police officer’s use of deadly force, resulting in a death.”
Ironically, it is that same level of transparency that the victim called for in 2017 when his 15-year-old son, Caleb Tisdol, was shot by police in New Britain, Connecticut. The younger Tisdol was one of two teens injured in the shooting, while 20-year-old Zoe Dowdell was killed.
Dowdell, a.k.a. Gangstalicious, an aspiring rapper, was behind the wheel of a car that police attempted to pull over while investigating carjackings and robberies. The cops claim that Dowdell drove on the sidewalk toward officers, which led to shots fired.
An investigation of the five police officers involved in the incident found the cops to be accurate in their account of the shooting. The elder Tisdol cried foul, claiming that the dashcam footage didn’t jibe with the police reports.
Tisdol complained to Fox61, a Connecticut television station., stating, “After the first shots, Caleb yelled out the car, ‘He is dead. You can stop shooting.’ When they heard my son’s voice, they opened fire again.”
Tisdol reportedly watched the dashcam footage following a Freedom of Information request filed by the American Civil Liberties Union. He urged authorities to show the entire video of the shooting that killed Dowdell and injured his son and another teenager, Noah Young.
The younger Tisdol, who is now a 20-year-old, is in prison after receiving a 12-year sentence in August. Caleb pleaded guilty to robbery, attempted robbery, and gun and drug charges.
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