Nearly three years before the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, Newtown police faced another situation involving a person with an apparent mental illness and a firearm. This one didn’t result in any loss of life, but it did lead to a gunshot injury and a lawsuit against Newtown police. So far, the courts have said the officers acted properly.
It was just after midnight on March 1, 2010, when 85-year-old Stanley Lupienski came to the Newtown Police Department seeking help. He told officers he was hearing voices and was short of breath. The police called an ambulance and transported the Brookfield man to Danbury Hospital for care. They did not formally place him under arrest and later said they saw no need to search him.
