HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) - A former Hartford officer accused of shooting and killing a man having a mental health crisis has been charged.

Joseph Magnano, 23, was charged with first-degree manslaughter for the shooting death of 55-year-old Steven Jones, according to Inspector General Eliot Prescott. He was released on a $50,000 bond and is expected to appear in Hartford Superior Court on June 5, 2026.

The final report from the state Office of the Inspector General has determined the shooting was not justified.

Jones was shot by Magnano on Feb. 27. The incident was caught on camera by an eyewitness.

In the footage, Jones could be seen holding a large knife and walking toward officers. Officers hit jones with a Taser six times, but it had no effect.

After Magnano arrived on the scene, Jones walked toward him, Prescott said. Magnano was heard ordering him to drop the knife. When he didn’t, Magnano shot Jones nine times.

The incident put the Hartford Police Department in the spotlight, as it was the second deadly officer-involved shooting in as many weeks.

Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam fired Magnano on March 27, saying that he “came in, sirens blazing... and from the video appears to have re-escalated the situation and made it worse and that led to a point of tension.”

Jones’s family has repeatedly said Jones was in the middle of a mental health crisis at the time.

The case caught the attention of civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who pushed the state legislature to create what he called “The Steven Jones Law.” Crump said the law would require stronger police training standards focused on mental health awareness, de-escalation, and crisis intervention.

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