Danbury Woman Files Suit Against Police Officer

DANBURY, CT — The woman who was wounded when her son was fatally shot by police last December has filed a lawsuit against the officer involved in the shooting.

Linda Arbitelle claims that Danbury Police Officer Alexander Relyea's actions were unjustified, and "not objectively reasonable."

On Dec. 29, police responded to a report of a "suspicious male" at the Glen Apartments, according to a state police report. The knife-wielding man, later identified as Paul Arbitelle, Linda's 45-year-old son, was shot by Relyea when a taser proved "ineffective," the state police said in a release. The officer involved in the shooting was in "imminent, life-threatening danger and acted in self-defense" according to a release later issued by the Danbury Police Department.

In her suit, filed Friday in U.S. District court in Danbury, Arbitelle claims that Relyea, "despite having his K-9 with him... failed to deescalate the situation and failed to utilize less than deadly force that was readily available."

Relyea also shot Aaron Bouffard in July. Like Arbitelle, Bouffard was carrying a knife that he refused to lay down after multiple requests by Relyea.

The suit does not seek specific monetary damages.