An Office of the Inspector General report determined that officers were justified in shooting a man that charged after police with a knife in his hand in March 2022.
Brian Dungan was shot by a Torrington police officer on March 23, 2022, after he came at two officers with a knife.
Police responded to a home on Tioga Street to conduct a wellness check on Dungan. He was threatening to kill himself, according to the Inspector General.
Two arriving officers found Dungan in the basement of the home. Body camera video shows Dungan begin to yell at the officers and walk towards them. One of the officers can be heard telling Dungan to drop a knife.
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Officer David Kisiel discharged a stun gun, but it was ineffective in stopping Dungan, according to the Inspector General. Officer Jeffrey Buzzi then shot Dungan three times.
Dungan was first taken to Charlotte Hungerford Hospital and then flown by LifeStar helicopter to Hartford Hospital. He underwent emergency surgery and was discharged from the hospital after eight days, authorities said.
The Inspector General's Office determined that Buzzi used deadly force to defend himself and Kisiel from what he reasonably believed to be a threat or serious physical injury or death.
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The report says Dungan's brother Roy, who is a state trooper, called dispatchers to report the incident.
Roy told dispatchers, "He says, 'I'm done. I'm going to kill myself..' I said 'Bryan, what are you talking about?' I was just at the house yesterday."
During an interview months after the incident, Dungan told authorities that he was "well above his [drinking] limit." He told police he had no recollection of what happened, and said the next thing he remembered was waking up in the hospital realizing he had been shot.
Dungan went on to say that he has no ill will towards the officers and "believed they were doing their job."
If you or someone you know needs help, please contact the National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988, or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting ‘Home’ to 741741, anytime.
