Cop shoots man 10 times before suspect with baseball bat goes down

The Victim: The man who was attacked has been identified by local reports as 69-year-old Robert Jenkins Jr., who was the father of the suspect. The State Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined his cause of death was blunt force head injuries.

The Suspect: The man wielding the baseball bat was 38-year-old Robert Lee Jenkins III. After being shot multiple times by Meriden Police Officer Anthony Offiaeli, he was taken to Hartford Hospital, where he died from his injuries later that night.

The Confrontation: According to the preliminary report from the ⁠Connecticut Office of Inspector General, the officer ordered Jenkins III to drop the bat four times. Jenkins III ignored the commands and continued striking his motionless father on the front lawn, prompting the officer to open fire.

The incident occurred on Sunday, July 19, 2026, on Sagamore Road in Meriden. Joint investigations by the state Office of Inspector General and the Connecticut State Police remain active.