The mother of an Oakland woman who was shot by police last winter and later died from her injuries plans to file a wrongful death lawsuit against those involved.
Jessica Fagre filed a notice of claim Thursday against three police officers that says her daughter, Ambroshia Fagre, was not an immediate threat to the police and was not fleeing from the scene of a crime. According to the notice, sent by her attorney, Bangor-based Hunter Tzovarras, she is seeking monetary damages of at least $500,000.
The three officers involved were Maine State Police Lt. Scott Ireland, Trooper Jeff Parks and Vassalboro Police Chief Mark Brown. The officers had “inadequate policies and training for the use of deadly force” that resulted in her daughter’s death, the notice claims.
The notice also was filed against the Vassalboro Police Department, the town of Vassalboro and the chief of the Maine State Police, Col. Robert Williams.
Williams said he won’t be responding to the claim until it goes through the court process. The Office of the Maine Attorney General will represent the police in the case. Lawsuits are brought against police nearly every time they use deadly force, Williams said.
Tim Feeley, spokesman for Attorney General Janet Mills, said the Attorney General’s Office had not received any notice in this case and had no comment.
Tzovarras was not available for comment Tuesday, and Fagre did not respond to a message on Facebook seeking comment.
Police shot Ambroshia Fagre, 18, on Feb. 10 on Arnold Road in Vassalboro. She was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland in critical condition and died on the afternoon of Feb. 11.
She was a passenger in a truck driven by Kadhar Bailey, 25, of Gardiner, who reportedly rammed a state police cruiser, prompting the police to shoot. Bailey also was shot and killed.
A petition was started on Change.org in February asking for justice for Ambroshia and calling on U.S. Sen. Susan Collins to investigate the issue.
Police were called to the area in Vassalboro where the shooting took place shortly after 4 p.m. to investigate a vehicle related to a number of daytime burglaries when they encountered Bailey’s pickup. One of the reported burglaries had taken place at Dickie Browne’s home, police said.
Dickie Browne’s son, Taylor Browne, 32, told the Morning Sentinel that his father, who was inducted into the state Golf Hall of Fame in 2013, was at home alone when a man came to the door to offer snow removal services that afternoon.
Dickie Browne, 57, declined, but then heard a noise in the garage and found it was the same man.
At that point, Taylor Browne said, the man threatened his father with a gun. He said his father was tied up while his home was burglarized and his truck stolen, all the while fearing for his life.
Bailey had left Browne’s truck and got into a different truck with Fagre. It wasn’t clear who owned that truck at the time.
A criminal records check showed that Bailey had been convicted of aggravated criminal mischief, a Class C felony, as a juvenile in 2009, but sentencing information was unavailable.
Madeline St. Amour can be contacted at 861-9239 or at:
mstamour@centralmaine.com
Twitter: madelinestamour
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