Roll of Honor
Incident
Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier was struck and killed by a truck while conducting a traffic stop on I-84 East near Exit 31 in Southington.
At 2:45 p.m., Trooper Pelletier pulled over a vehicle on the right shoulder of the highway with his emergency equipment activated on his cruiser. While he was speaking with the driver of the car, a truck crossed the dividing line into the shoulder lane, sideswiped his cruiser, and struck him. The driver fled in the vehicle and was apprehended approximately five miles away in a wooded area.
Trooper Pelletier was killed instantly. His canine partner, Roso, was in the cruiser when it was struck, but he was not injured.
The subject was arrested and charged with evading responsibility for a crash causing death, illegal operation of a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol/drugs, failure to drive in the proper lane, second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle, failure to move over, and illegal operation of a motor vehicle without a driver's license. The suspect pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and was sentenced to 18 years in prison in a plea agreement between the state and the suspect.
Trooper Pelletier had served with the Connecticut State Police for nine years and was assigned to Troop H in Hartford.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CT-C72C0992- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Trooper First Class Pelletier gave the Connecticut State Police 9 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Connecticut. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper First Class Pelletier.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In CT, 74 of 169 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 43.8% of this state's fallen. That is 10.4 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
At Connecticut State Police, 8 of 26 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 30.8% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Aaron Pelletier's cause is highlighted.
How Aaron Pelletier Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to 18 years
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Aaron Pelletier is highlighted in May.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Aaron Pelletier was killed by automobile.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
25 officers from Connecticut State Police are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
