The Office of the Inspector General said it has determined that a police officer who fired gunshots after a woman fired gunshots inside the Bristol Police Department last October was justified.
The woman was not struck by gunfire, officials said.
The report that the Office of the Inspector General released on Thursday morning provides details on the investigation into what happened on the night of Oct. 5, 2023.
It says that Suzanne Laprise parked in front of the Bristol Police Department around 11:38 p.m. that night after drinking at a local bar and walked into the lobby, holding a gun to her head as she walked up to the window, banged on the window with the gun and fired the gun at the window and then at the door to the left of the window. In all, she is accused of firing five gunshots.
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Officer Spencer Boisvert fired two shots and officers used a stun gun on Laprise after she put the gun down, provided medical attention and placed her under arrest, the report goes on to say.
In his report about the incident, Boisvert wrote in part, “Due to the woman clearly displaying a danger of deadly physical force to officers and any potential citizens that could enter the main lobby of the police department, I made the decision to attempt to fire my department issued handgun at the female. This would require me shooting through the north hallway doors’ glass at the female. This decision was made in an effort to stop the active threat. ..."
The Office of the Inspector General said Officer Boisvert was “actively using deadly force against members of the Bristol Police Department” and “acted justifiably in attempting to stop the threat.”
“The investigation establishes that Officer Boisvert’s use of deadly force was reasonable to defend a third person. I therefore conclude that his use of force was justified under Connecticut law. The Office of Inspector General will take no further action on this matter,” the report says.
Laprise was charged with illegal discharge of a firearm, carrying a dangerous weapon, criminal use of a weapon, criminal mischief in the first degree, breach of peace in the second degree, attempt to commit murder with special circumstances, reckless endangerment in the first degree, and illegal possession of a large-capacity magazine.
She has pleaded not guilty, remains in custody on a $1 million bond and is due in court on Nov. 21, according to online court records.
