As the death of 23-year-old Lauren Smith-Fields continues to gain traction on social media, the world continues to demand justice as they seek for the person responsible for her death to be arrested. Connecticut public officials are listening and taking action with law enforcement, who they feel mishandled her and another deceased Black woman’s case. According to NBC Connecticut, Bridgeport Mayor Joseph P. Ganim has stepped in and suspended two detectives.
Reports show Mayor Ganin announced late Sunday that detectives Kevin Cronin and Angel Llanos assigned to the cases of Lauren and Brenda Lee Rawls are officially suspended. In a live stream yesterday, Mayor Ganin extended condolences to the families of both women. During the stream, he said was “extremely disappointed with the leadership of the Bridgeport Police Department and find actions taken up to this point unacceptable.”
If you’re not familiar with the death of 53-year-old Brenda, she passed away on December 12th, the same day as Lauren. Brenda’s family alleges that police have not investigated her death or taken the case seriously. In addition, Brenda and Lauren’s families weren’t notified by authorities of their deaths. Both women’s families say they learned of the deaths through a landlord and a neighbor.
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Internal affairs have stepped in to investigate Detectives Cronin and Llanos. The men also face disciplinary action for the lack of sensitivity to the public and failure to follow police policy. The deaths of Lauren and Brenda are still under investigation and have been reassigned within the police department. “The Bridgeport Police Department has high standards for officer sensitivity, especially in matters involving the death of a family member,” stated Mayor Ganim. “It is an unacceptable failure if policies were not followed.”
Brenda’s cause of death is pending, and Lauren’s was ruled an accident. Roommates, we will keep you updated as more information becomes available.
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