Investigators now say a Florida man who was fatally shot by a Rutland police officer last month was unarmed at the time of the shooting.Members of Vermont State Police said 33-year-old Jonathan Mansilla, of Coral Gables, Florida, was carrying a cellphone when he was shot twice in the chest inside of a McDonald’s bathroom on Aug. 25. In an interview with investigators, the Rutland city officer, Cpl. Christopher Rose, said he “observed an object in Mansilla’s hand that he perceived to be an unknown weapon of some kind” before firing his weapon three times.The report marks the first time police have released information on where inside the restaurant Mansilla was shot, whether he was armed and the events that directly preceded the shooting. Investigators had previously noted that they were waiting until the officer was interviewed to release additional information. Authorities noted that Rose provided a “voluntary” interview with detectives on Wednesday. State police are expected to complete an investigation into the incident in the coming weeks. The findings will then be turned over to the Vermont Attorney General’s Office and Bennington County State’s Attorney’s Office for an independent review of Rose’s use of force. Initial reports from police released last month showed the search for Mansilla by authorities began nearly two hours earlier, when a hit-and-run car crash was reported in a Goodwill parking lot nearly two miles away. Police were then advised to “be on the lookout” for Mansilla’s vehicle, a black 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt, which was later located several miles south in the town of Wallingford.According to investigators, he was stopped by a member of the county sheriff’s office on Route 7 in Clarendon at approximately 2:15 p.m. Mansilla is accused of driving away shortly after being stopped; authorities found him stopped in a nearby driveway. He reportedly drove away from deputies once again, who ended their pursuit efforts after deciding it had become too dangerous. Mansilla’s sedan was next seen turning onto Allen Street in Rutland, adjacent to the McDonald’s restaurant, where police said it crashed into the back of a UPS truck. He then left the vehicle and ran inside of the McDonald’s, according to investigators. Rose became involved during a local response to the crash with a UPS truck. Investigators said he saw Mansilla run into the restaurant and chased him inside. In the updated report released Thursday, state police said Mansilla ran into the men’s restroom, followed shortly afterward by Rose. The officer reported seeing his legs underneath a gap in the bottom of a restroom stall during an interview on the incident. Mansilla opened the stall and ran toward Rose, according to investigators, when the officer reported seeing something in the man’s hand that later turned out to be a cellphoneCorrection: A previous version of this report incorrectly listed the victim’s name as Daniel Mansilla. His full name, as provided by state police, is Jonathan Daniel Mansilla.
Investigators now say a Florida man who was fatally shot by a Rutland police officer last month was unarmed at the time of the shooting.
Members of Vermont State Police said 33-year-old Jonathan Mansilla, of Coral Gables, Florida, was carrying a cellphone when he was shot twice in the chest inside of a McDonald’s bathroom on Aug. 25.
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In an interview with investigators, the Rutland city officer, Cpl. Christopher Rose, said he “observed an object in Mansilla’s hand that he perceived to be an unknown weapon of some kind” before firing his weapon three times.
The report marks the first time police have released information on where inside the restaurant Mansilla was shot, whether he was armed and the events that directly preceded the shooting. Investigators had previously noted that they were waiting until the officer was interviewed to release additional information.
Authorities noted that Rose provided a “voluntary” interview with detectives on Wednesday.
State police are expected to complete an investigation into the incident in the coming weeks. The findings will then be turned over to the Vermont Attorney General’s Office and Bennington County State’s Attorney’s Office for an independent review of Rose’s use of force.
Initial reports from police released last month showed the search for Mansilla by authorities began nearly two hours earlier, when a hit-and-run car crash was reported in a Goodwill parking lot nearly two miles away. Police were then advised to “be on the lookout” for Mansilla’s vehicle, a black 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt, which was later located several miles south in the town of Wallingford.
According to investigators, he was stopped by a member of the county sheriff’s office on Route 7 in Clarendon at approximately 2:15 p.m. Mansilla is accused of driving away shortly after being stopped; authorities found him stopped in a nearby driveway.
He reportedly drove away from deputies once again, who ended their pursuit efforts after deciding it had become too dangerous.
Mansilla’s sedan was next seen turning onto Allen Street in Rutland, adjacent to the McDonald’s restaurant, where police said it crashed into the back of a UPS truck. He then left the vehicle and ran inside of the McDonald’s, according to investigators.
Rose became involved during a local response to the crash with a UPS truck. Investigators said he saw Mansilla run into the restaurant and chased him inside.
In the updated report released Thursday, state police said Mansilla ran into the men’s restroom, followed shortly afterward by Rose. The officer reported seeing his legs underneath a gap in the bottom of a restroom stall during an interview on the incident.
Mansilla opened the stall and ran toward Rose, according to investigators, when the officer reported seeing something in the man’s hand that later turned out to be a cellphone
Correction: A previous version of this report incorrectly listed the victim’s name as Daniel Mansilla. His full name, as provided by state police, is Jonathan Daniel Mansilla.
