FARMINGTON (AP) — The town has filed its response to a wrongful death lawsuit stemming from the fatal police shooting of a U.S. Army veteran.
Authorities say 28-year-old Justin Crowley-Smilek was fatally shot outside Town Hall in November 2011 after threatening an officer with a knife. Crowley-Smilek had served in Afghanistan.
His parents, in a lawsuit filed in November, allege civil rights violations. They said the officer never called for backup, continued firing after Crowley-Smilek was disarmed and was not fully trained. It seeks unspecified monetary damages.
The Kennebec Journal reported that the town in its response this week said there is insufficient evidence that Crowley-Smilek had post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental illnesses. It also denies that Crowley-Smilek rang the Police Department’s door bell to seek help before he was shot.
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