Montville ― Footage released by the police department Wednesday depicts profanity and homophobic slur-laden exchanges last year between a man who allegedly tried to steal prescription drugs from a drug drop box, and multiple officers.

For a year, police have withheld the release of body camera footage and audio of the arrest, in which an officer’s gun discharged in the police department lobby. Two days after the incident, police did release 6- to 7-second snippets of body camera and lobby video of the gun discharge, without audio.

Last July, The Day filed a freedom of information request of video and audio from the time suspect Zachary Barbarossa of Norwich entered the lobby to when he was brought into the booking area.

Police had argued that New London State’s Attorney Paul Narducci told them not to release the information because Barbarossa’s case was pending. But last month, the state Freedom of Information Commission ordered police to release the video.

On Wednesday, police released one officer’s 14-minute-long body camera video.

It shows that as several officers pinned Barbarossa to the ground to handcuff him, one officer, who has not been identified, told the then 22-year-old to “shut the (expletive) up (homophobic slur).”

The video then shows an angry Barbarossa respond with a flurry of profanity and the same homophobic slur, which he uttered multiple times.

Asked to address the video, Lt. David Radford, who is seen at the beginning of the video arguing for five minutes with Barbarossa over the theft, acknowledged Wednesday “there were homophobic slurs thrown back and forth from the officer and the suspect, as you can see.”

Radford said the department sent the officer to a “retraining.” Radford would not specify the type of training or how long it lasted. But he said the department does have documents to substantiate the officer completed the training.

“We’re not hiding anything or covering anything,” Radford said.

He added the department would not release the name of the officer who used the slur.

“There’s no reason to pin down one officer or bring into light a situation that’s been handled,” Radford said.

He also would not release incident reports written about the gun discharge or Barbarossa’s arrest. The Day on Wednesday filed an Freedom of Information request for the reports.

The Day was able to identify three officers in the video ― Radford and officer Stephen Fazzino, whose name tags can be seen on their uniforms, and Officer Daniel Witts, the officer whose gun went off. His identity was confirmed Wednesday in a statement from the Office of Inspector General, which investigated the gun incident.

“After speaking with the involved officers and reviewing video, it was evident the weapon discharged accidentally while Officer Daniel Witts was assisting other officers in making an arrest in the police department lobby,” wrote Alaine Griffin, the communications director for the Inspector General. “The gun fired while still in Officer Witts’ holster. Accidental discharges are outside the statutory jurisdiction of the Office of Inspector General and our case was closed.”

A few weeks later, the department decided to replace the Sig Sauer P320 handguns carried by officers.

Warning: This video contains offensive language.

The video and audio, which were captured July 24, 2023, on an officer’s body camera, depict the verbal and physical exchanges between multiple officers and Barbarossa.

The video begins with officers walking from the back of the police station and into the lobby. They move across the lobby to the bathroom, where Radford is seen talking to Barbarossa, who is holding what appears to be a plastic bag filled with prescription bottles.

Radford motions for him to leave the bathroom, at which point Barbarossa drops the bag back into the trash.

“You reached in the drug box, took a bag of (expletive) out and brought it in the bathroom. And you have no idea if you took something or not?” Radford asks Barbarossa.

That begins a five-minute argument between Barbarossa and Radford about whether or not Barbarossa ingested some of the drugs.

Barbarossa tells Radford all the drugs are still in the bag as he was just reading the names on the bottles. A court document lists the prescription drugs in the bag as those used to treat high blood pressure, seizures and nerve pain, bipolar disorder and depression, as well as vitamin B-1.

“Where on this box does it say, you know, free for taking, take whatever you want?” Radford asked Barbarossa, pointing to the drop box.

“Well I didn’t know that. It doesn’t say don’t take anything,” Barbarossa responds a few moments later.

Barbarossa, appearing to be exasperated by the exchange, frequently uses “bro” or “bruh” to refer to Radford.

“Stop calling me bro. I’m not your bro,” Radford said.

Barbarossa argues that since he didn’t take the bag and run out the door, and that the drugs were still there, he should be let go.

“Dude, you’re not going to walk in a police department lobby, steal drugs out of a box and walk out,” Radford said.

Putting the cuffs on

Fazzino then walks over to Barbarossa, and he and the officer wearing the body camera try to pin Barbarossa’s arms behind his back.

At first, Barbarossa appears to try to walk away from the officers, who then grab him more forcefully. A struggle ensues .

“Get the (expletive) off of me,” Barbarossa says as officers join in to help detain a standing Barbarossa. “I’m not even doing nothing, bro! My hands are right (expletive) here you (expletives).”

Two officers pin Barbarossa to the ground, and others jump in. That’s when one of the officers can be heard directing the slur at Barbarossa, who responds with a flurry of swears and homophobic slurs.

When officers finally get the handcuffs on Barbarossa, there are at least six officers holding him down. Barbarossa complains that they are crushing his chest and that he can’t breathe. An officer tells him to stop pushing against the officers.

“I didn’t move. You’re pushing me down with seven (expletives),” he says. “If you’re saying I’m mad tiny, why the (expletive) do you need this many people to hold down a (expletive) 145 pound child, bro.”

Gun goes off

Officers then lift a handcuffed Barbarossa to his feet and say they are taking him to the booking area, where he was charged with third-degree criminal mischief, interfering with a police officer and attempting to possess a controlled substance. He is scheduled to appear Thursday in Norwich Superior Court on the charges.

Barbarossa has six other cases pending in Norwich Superior Court for charges including attempted robbery, driving under the influence and sale of narcotics.

Barbarossa asks for the identity of an officer he says body-slammed him. When Witts reaches down to lift Barbarossa’s feet, his gun discharges in its holster at eight minutes and 21 seconds into the video.

“Oh, what the (expletive) was that?” one officer cries out immediately after the discharge. “You have a firework?”

Witts then looks down at his holster.

“I think my gun went off,” he says.

“Oh, wow, nice, you almost just shoot me, bro?” Barbarossa exclaims. “Oh, no. A gun goes off in here. This court case gon’ be easy! Y’all shot a gun in here?”

Barbarossa is then seen being brought outside, around the outside of the building and into a holding cell.

Barbarossa in the booking area

Outside the building, three officers hold Barbarossa while Fazzino instructs him to stop moving so they can loosen his handcuffs, which, Barbarossa complains, are too tight.

“Maybe if you didn’t fight with us, then it wouldn’t have happened this way,” an officer says.

“Bruh, I was manhandled by four of you. You said I’m so big, how was I fighting all four of you? And I need to know the name of the cop that when both my hands were in the air ― body slammed me,” Barbarossa says.

“Why are your legs shaking?” a second officer asks.

“Because y’all attacked me to the floor. And a gun went off!” Barbarossa says a moment later.

Once in the booking area, officers strip Barbarossa of his socks and shoes, then take his handcuffs off, at which point the video ends.

“Hashtag white George Floyd,” Barbarossa says as he’s against the wall, making another reference to the officers being rough with him.

The Chinigo, Leone and Maruzo law firm of Norwich, which is representing Barbarossa, could not be reached Wednesday to comment about whether he has filed a complaint against the department.

Staff Writer Greg Smith contributed to this article.

d.drainville@theday.com