FARMINGTON — Attorney General William J. Schneider has concluded that the shooting death of U.S. Army veteran Justin Crowley-Smilek by a Farmington police officer in November was justified.
Crowley-Smilek, 28, a former U.S. Army Ranger who suffered from combat stress and physical injuries from service in Afghanistan, was shot multiple times by police Officer Ryan Rosie outside the Farmington municipal offices on U.S. Route 2.
Schneider  said it was reasonable for Rosie to believe that deadly force was imminently threatened against him and to believe that it was necessary for him to use deadly force to protect himself.
“Whether deadly force by a law enforcement officer is reasonable is based on the totality of the particular circumstances and must be judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene, allowing for the fact that police officers are often forced to make split-second decisions about the amount of force necessary in a particular situation,” Schneider said in a statement released Monday afternoon. “The analysis requires careful attention to the facts and circumstances of a particular case, including the severity of the crime at issue, whether the suspect poses an immediate threat to the safety of officers or others, and whether the suspect is actively resisting arrest or attempting to evade arrest by flight.”
Crowley-Smilek had been armed with a large knife.