Inspector General Releases Preliminary Report on Fatal Bristol Police Shooting

A Bristol police officer shot and killed a 43-year-old man in his yard last week after being sent to check on his well-being, according to a preliminary report released Monday by Connecticut’s Inspector General.

Jakub Dziemaszkiewicz died at the scene on Woodbridge Road on the night of October 16, after Officer Mark McGrane fired three shots that struck him in the face, neck, and torso, the report says. A rifle and a Glock semi-automatic pistol were found next to his body.

The Inspector General’s office, which independently investigates every police use of deadly force in the state, also released video from McGrane’s body-worn camera and from a police drone that was flying over the home when the shooting happened. The office warned that the videos contain graphic images.

Friends Called Police Asking for a Welfare Check

The encounter began at about 8:38 p.m., when two of Dziemaszkiewicz’s friends called Bristol police, according to the report. Both said they were worried about him and asked officers to check on him at his home.

One caller warned police that Dziemaszkiewicz owned numerous firearms and that he “would not go down without a fight,” the report says.

A database search showed he had registered more than a dozen guns. Police sent officers to the house and launched a drone, which reached the home shortly before officers did.

Officer Went Ahead Alone

Four officers drove to the area and parked their cruisers down the street, planning to approach the house on foot, according to the report.

McGrane went ahead of the other three to scout the property. When he reached the yard, he saw Dziemaszkiewicz near a tree line holding a rifle, the report says. McGrane told him several times to drop the weapon and show his hands, then fired three times.

The report does not say whether Dziemaszkiewicz raised or pointed the rifle, how far apart the two men were, or how much time passed between McGrane’s commands and the shots. It also does not say where the other three officers were when the shooting happened. Those details are likely to be central to the investigation.

Death Ruled a Homicide

The state’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on October 18 and ruled the cause of death gunshot wounds of the head, neck, and torso. The manner of death was listed as homicide.

That label is standard in police shootings. It means the death was caused by another person, not that the medical examiner found a crime. Toxicology results are still pending.

Investigation Continues

The preliminary report is the first step in the Inspector General’s review. Inspector General Eliot D. Prescott’s office will now interview the officers and witnesses, review the video and forensic evidence, and eventually issue a final report deciding whether the shooting was legally justified. That process typically takes months.

Under Connecticut law, police may use deadly force only when they reasonably believe it’s necessary to protect themselves or others from deadly force. Since a 2020 police accountability law, investigators must also consider whether the officer exhausted reasonable alternatives and whether the officer’s own actions helped create the danger.

The Inspector General’s office was created by that 2020 law, passed after nationwide protests over police killings. Before then, police shootings in Connecticut were reviewed by local state’s attorneys who worked closely with the same departments.

Bristol police have not publicly commented beyond the information in the Inspector General’s report. The office said its investigation is ongoing.

Jake Dressler is a Connecticut and Massachusetts attorney. This post is based on the Inspector General’s preliminary report dated October 19, 2026. Facts may change as the investigation continues.

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