Bloomfield butcher shop cleared to reopen after cow escaped and was killed in Home Depot parking lot

The Bloomfield butchery where a young cow escaped and was later slain by an employee in the nearby parking lot of a Home Depot has been cleared to reopen after agreeing to comply with regulations regarding treatment of livestock, according to the state Department of Agriculture.

Saba Live Poultry on Granby Street was closed for an investigation following the July 13 incident where the cow ran away from the store and headed for the Home Depot across the street. The cow was chased by three Saba employees and a police officer who happened to be driving by. When the cow was captured, an employee slit its throat in the parking lot, according to a police report.

The incident, which was caught on police body and dash cameras, sparked investigations by the agriculture department, police, zoning officials and the local health and fire departments, Bloomfield Police Capt. Stephen Hajdasz previously told The Courant.

During an inspection on July 17, the agriculture department found about 2,000 poultry including chickens, ducks, quail, guinea fowl and pigeons confined in cages, as well as about 30 rabbits, three sheep and three kid goats, according to a report.

When an inspector arrived at the shop, with outdoor temperatures between 85 and 90 degrees, "all windows and doors were closed, no fans were on, and no air conditioning in the facility was provided." The animals appeared lethargic and were panting, "all indications of heat stress," according to the report.

The investigation concluded the store's confined animals, "were not given proper care in that the animals were not caged or restrained to prevent the animals from doing injury to themselves or to another animal, or failed to supply any such animals with wholesome air, food and water," the report said.

Saba's ceilings had feathers, fat and filth hanging over processing tables, the facility had no hot water, butchering utensils were not properly sanitized or stored, contact surfaces for the meat were unclean and the shop's band saw had an accumulation of fat and bone under its cover, according to the report.

A driver who had brought 100 goats and calves from Massachusetts and showed up while the inspector was there was ordered to leave, according to the report.

The shop was ordered closed by the Department of Agriculture on July 18.

Saba agreed to stipulations including that all animals entering the facility must be slaughtered within seven days, animals should be separated based on age and species and specific guidelines for the number of animals housed together in confined spaces, the report said.

The agreement allowing the shop to reopen was signed Friday by Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt and Bilal Musid, president of Saba Live Poultry, avoiding a hearing which had been scheduled for Monday. An employee said Friday the shop remained closed and no reopening date had been set but declined to comment further.

In response to the slaying, PETA announced Thursday the animal welfare group will be constructing a billboard in Bloomfield with an image of a cow that will read, "I’m ME, not MEAT. See the individual. Go Vegan."

The group New Haven Animal Save created a Facebook event with plans to hold a vigil at Saba Live Poultry Sunday at 11 a.m. in honor of the slain animal.

Bloomfield police Officer Brendan Danaher was driving past the Home Depot on July 13 when he saw the butcher shop employees running across the street. He turned around to assist, spotted the brown cow covered in feces, and called for backup, according to the police report.

As the employees and police officer ran toward the animal, one of the men, later identified as Andy Morrison, 42, of West Hartford, attempted to shoot the cow with a bow and arrow, but missed and instead struck the back wall of the Home Depot, the report said. Morrison, a contractor, does not work at the butcher shop but was at the business working on the shop's expansion.

Once the employees reached the cow, three employees grabbed it, presumably to restrain it with a rope or leash, Danaher said in his report. But then one of the shop employees, Badr Musaed, 39, of Windsor, used a knife to kill the cow, according to the report. Halal butcher shops slaughter meat using methods approved and followed by the Islamic religion, including the use of a sharp knife in a single cut to sever the windpipe.

Musaed was cited for creating a public disturbance for killing the animal. Morrison has not been charged.

On the body camera footage Danaher can be heard saying to a fellow officer, "This is ridiculous. I thought they were corralling it, that's the thing. So they had it and I’m like, ‘OK, they’ve got it.’ Then I see them cut its throat and I’m like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’ I’ve never seen anything like this in my life."

Abigail Brone can be reached at [email protected].

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