BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut police department is being sued over the 2019 shooting death of a 70-year-old woman by her ex-husband, on allegations officers could have prevented the killing.
James Taylor, a former owner of a garbage hauling company, broke into the Fairfield home of his ex-wife, Catherine Taylor, and fatally shot her in the head as she tried to flee, police said. James Taylor also tried to shoot his stepson, Donald Garamella, who disarmed James Taylor and held him until police arrived.
Garamella sued Fairfield police on Tuesday, saying officers were notified two days before the shooting that James Taylor was acting dangerously and had threatened his ex-wife, the Connecticut Post reported. Police were also informed at the time that Taylor had firearms, but police did not seize them, the lawsuit said.
Garamella is seeking unspecified damages.
Town Attorney James Baldwin declined comment on the lawsuit.
In a response to the lawsuit filed Thursday in Bridgeport Superior Court, lawyers for the town denied police were liable for the shooting and said the lawsuit is barred by government immunity.
James Taylor was charged with murder and other crimes. Six months after the shooting, he killed himself while free on $2 million bail, police said.
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