NEW HAVEN — A federal judge has ruled that four Connecticut state troopers did not use unreasonable force when they fired non-lethal weapons at a firefighter just before he shot himself to death during a standoff.
Judge Jeffrey Meyer in New Haven on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit by Timothy Devine’s family, who alleged state police provoked him into killing himself on the University of Connecticut’s Avery Point campus along Long Island Sound in Groton in 2012.
Authorities say Devine, a Groton firefighter, threatened suicide during the standoff. The troopers detonated flash grenades and shot Devine with rubber baton projectiles in an effort to surprise him and end the standoff. Authorities say Devine became more agitated and killed himself.
State officials denied allegations the troopers violated Devine’s constitutional rights and used excessive force.
