An Easton police officer was justified in his use of deadly force when he shot and killed a suicidal woman armed with a BB gun during a wellness check in her home in February, Bristol District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III said on Thursday.
It was Marianne Griffith’s “unprovoked actions” when she confronted police on Feb. 5, threatening to shoot them and herself, and then charging at an officer and taking aim with what appeared to be a firearm, that prompted the fatal shooting and justified it, according to Quinn’s findings published in an 18-page report.
“The use of force was commensurate with the severity of the situation” and “reasonable based on all the circumstances,” the report said.
The findings align with the Easton Police Department’s use-of-force policies, as well as self-defense laws, the report said.
Authorities said Griffiths suffered from longstanding mental health issues and suicidal ideation, and that two of the responding officers had been to Griffiths’ house for well-being checks in the past.
Police went to the home of Griffiths, 56, at about 11:30 a.m. at the request of her son, who reported that she had taken 20 doses of insulin and she wanted to die, authorities said.
When officers arrived, Griffiths was in the basement, where she yelled that she would kill police and then herself. Officers retreated when one of them saw Griffiths with what appeared to be a rifle. They evacuated other family members and left the home, the report said.
From outside the home, where the front door was open but the storm door was closed, an officer saw Griffiths “walking with a purpose” toward the entry way when they “locked eyes” and Griffiths raised the barrel and pointed it toward him, the report said.
The officer screamed at her, but Griffiths kept coming, the report said. “She had a look in her eyes that was either terror or hatred,” the officer told investigators.
The officer said he couldn’t believe what was happening, that he was scared, concerned, and determined not to let her get outside with the firearm and he fired one shot through the storm door, shattering it, the report said.
Griffiths was shot in the chest and died. Investigators discovered that the weapon Griffiths was holding was a Daisy Powerline 901 air rifle, the report said.
The report did not identify the officer who shot Griffiths by name. It said he was a seven-year veteran of the police department.
Tonya Alanez can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @talanez.