‘They just started shooting him’; Woman who witnessed deputies kill her boyfriend calls for thorough investigation

WEST HAVEN — After a West Haven man was killed by deputy gunfire, his girlfriend is speaking out, demanding a thorough investigation. According to her, the events she witnessed did not match the story officials gave.

The man killed in that incident was 30-year-old James Kudelka. Deputies said he barricaded himself inside his apartment with his girlfriend, Shyann Johnson. However, she alleges they were just arguing, and responding officers escalated the situation.

“I wasn’t being held against my will, he didn’t put his hands on me. We were just arguing,” Johnson said.

On Sunday around 5:20 p.m., Johnson said she and her boyfriend of two years were arguing inside their apartment when deputies with the Weber County Sheriff’s Office arrived.

“The cops knocked on the door,” Johnson said. “He was standing behind the door and we could hear my mom outside the door saying that’s my daughter in there. And he handed me the phone and said please call your mom.”

“The cop that was at the door turned around and told the other cop, ‘I think he has his back against the door.’ And said, ‘Go get the door breakers.’” Johnson said. ‘The other cop said, ‘Well I’m going to go get my shotgun.’”

Johnson’s mom, Tammy Marturello, said she arrived around the same time as the responding deputies and was on the phone with Kudelka.

“I was trying to tell them ‘Look he’s on the phone, can you talk to him? Look he’s on the phone.’ But they weren’t listening to what I had to say at all,” Marturello said.

Marturello said she was outside and observed the deputies break into the apartment and deploy a taser which caused Kudelka to fall forward before they opened fire.

“I don’t remember them asking him to get on the ground or put his hands up, they just tased him and he didn’t go down but he stumbled back a little bit. Then they shot him with a shotgun,” Johnson said.

“The cops yelled gun and they just started shooting him,” Johnson said, through tears. “Over and over and over again.”

Marturello and Johnson said the situation quickly escalated, alleging that about three minutes transpired between the time deputies first knocked on the door and the shooting.

“While the deputies attempted contact at the door they heard a disturbance from inside. Concerned for the safety of the female, deputies forced entry into the apartment,” a press release from the Sheriff’s Office said Monday. “The male brandished a knife and began to advance on the deputies, holding the knife. Three deputies fired rounds at the male, resulting in his death. The female was unharmed.”

“There was no (command to) get down. There was no ‘Get your hands up.’ They just shot,” Marturello said.

According to Johnson, Kudelka was shot about eight times.

Johnson and her mother are concerned about how the incident was handled.

“In the press release it said that he barricaded himself inside and that’s not true, he didn’t,” Johnson said.

“They want to say that he had a knife and a gun, that’s not true,” Marturello said. “It was a phone and a bottle of liquor.”

Tonight Kudelka’s loved ones are demanding a thorough investigation.

“They didn’t give him a chance, they just shot him,” Johnson said.

“I think it really needs to be investigated to its fullest,” Marturello said.

The three deputies were placed on leave, as per protocol.

The Weber County Sheriff’s Office declined to answer our questions citing the investigation into deputies’ use of deadly force. The investigation is being handled by the Weber County Attorney’s Office.

There is also a *GoFundMe to support Johnson with funeral expenses for Kudelka.

---

*KSL TV does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.