Sister of Man Slain at Glen Apartments Plans to Sue Danbury PD

DANBURY, CT — The sister of the man shot to death by police at the Glen Apartments in December gave notice Friday that she intends to file a civil rights lawsuit against the mayor and the Police Department, the News Times is reporting.

In her lawsuit, Lisa Natale-Contreras alleges that the Danbury Hospital staff and Danbury Police refused to provide her information regarding the health status of her mother and brother in the hours following their shooting by the police. She is contending that she was subjected to “negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress,” by the words and actions of Mayor Mark Boughton and the Danbury PD.

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, 45, was shot by police 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.

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Paul Arbitelle later died as a result of "homicide gunshot wounds to the torso and extremities" according to a spokesperson for the state medical examiner's office. His mother, Linda Mae Arbitelle, 74, also suffered a gunshot wound as a result of the discharge of the officer’s weapon.

Earlier this month, Linda Mae Arbitelle filed notice with the city that she intends to sue for compensatory and punitive damages.