No prosecution for officer who shot man who strangled him

HARTFORD, Vt. — A police officer who fatally shot a man who had punched him and put him in a chokehold will not be prosecuted.

Cpl. Eric Clifford, of Hartford, was justified in shooting Joseph John Howard, 35, of Bradford, in August, the attorney general’s office said in a news release Tuesday.

Clifford responded to a 911 call Aug. 5 of a report of a man refusing to leave a home.

When Clifford arrived, Howard approached him even though Clifford told him to stay where he was. Clifford used pepper spray against Howard, who continued forward to knock Clifford to the ground, punch him and put him in a stranglehold, the attorney general’s office said, referencing body camera footage and audio.

Clifford escaped, but Howard again knocked him to the ground, where after a short struggle, Clifford shot him twice in the chest.

A toxicology report showed methadone, steroids, and evidence of THC or marijuana in Howard’s system when he died.

“Corporal Clifford tried to de-escalate the situation by giving Mr. Howard commands to stay where he was, moving away from him, and using pepper spray,” the attorney general’s office said.

It added, “Given the totality of the circumstances, an objectively reasonable officer in Corporal Clifford’s situation would have been legally justified in using deadly force in self-defense.”

Clifford was placed on administrative leave after the shooting and will remain on paid leave until the town of Hartford completes its own investigation, Town Manager Tracy Yarlott-Davis told the Valley News.

Howard had worked at Copeland Furniture in Bradford for 10 months before he was shot, the newspaper reported. It is still not clear what he was doing outside the home where he was shot.

— The Associated Press