On a summer afternoon in 2015, a series of events unfolded that would end in the death of 53-year-old Christopher Thomas Anderson. The day of August 14th began with a bank robbery in South Windsor, where Anderson passed a threatening note to a teller and fled with a large sum of money. This act set off a police chase that wound through multiple towns, eventually reaching Bolton.
The pursuit came to a dramatic end at the intersection of Route 44.
Anderson's vehicle became disabled after hitting the side of the road. As law enforcement officers approached, he exited his car, holding a utility razor knife. Witnesses reported that he then told the officers to shoot him. In an attempt to de-escalate the situation, one officer deployed a Taser, but it proved ineffective as Anderson removed the prongs and continued to advance toward them. At that point, a state trooper and a Manchester police officer both fired their weapons, striking Anderson multiple times.
Following the shooting, Anderson was transported to a hospital for treatment. He succumbed to his injuries two days later, on August 16, 2015. An autopsy later confirmed that the cause of death was complications from gunshot wounds to the torso. The manner of death was ruled a homicide, as he was shot by police. A subsequent investigation by the state's attorney for the judicial district of New London reviewed the actions of the officers involved. In December of 2016, the investigation concluded that the use of deadly force was justified, and the officers were cleared of any wrongdoing.
Further investigation into Anderson's background revealed a history of similar crimes. He had been previously convicted for a series of bank robberies in 2006, for which he had served seven years in prison and was on probation at the time of his death. It was also discovered that he was a suspect in another bank robbery that had occurred just a week before the fatal confrontation in Bolton. His sisters and a roommate described a man struggling with addiction and depression, who harbored a deep anger towards the police following his earlier arrest and shooting in 2006.
