Widow sues Perryopolis, officer in husband’s death

The wife of a former councilman in a small Fayette County town who was killed by police last year has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the unidentified officer and the borough.

Maria Hoose sued the borough of Perryopolis and the officer, identified as “John Doe,” saying he used excessive force and the borough didn’t train him properly to avoid having to kill her emotionally-disturbed husband, Garrett Hoose.

The officer shot Mr. Hoose five times in his house on Oct. 6, 2017.

State police investigating the incident said Mr. Hoose had threatened to harm himself, had a gun and refused to put it down, leaving the officer no choice but to shoot him.

Mrs. Hoose said in her suit that she called the police to do a welfare check on Mr. Hoose at his Constitution Avenue home.

She said the officer entered the home without permission as Mr. Hoose was talking on the phone

to his son.

Mr. Hoose, 47, who had served several terms as a councilman in Perryopolis and owned an auto body shop in town, was known to Perryopolis police because of his mental health problems, and officers had been to the home before.

The officer did not “de-escalate” the situation, wrote Pittsburgh lawyer Francis Moore, and didn’t follow guidelines for dealing with someone with behavioral issues.

“At some point,” the suit says, the officer drew his gun and shot Mr. Hoose five times.

The complaint says the force was unjustified and that Perryopolis police didn’t properly train or supervise the officer to avoid the use of excessive force.

The suit makes no mention of a gun that police said Mr. Hoose was holding, and Mr. Moore did not address questions about the police version of events.

Troopers at the time said the officer responded because Mr. Hoose’s family said he was sending text messages indicating he was going to harm himself.

They said that when the officer arrived at the back door of the home, Mr. Hoose had a gun in his hand and refused to drop it.

The suit is asking for a jury trial and unspecified damages.

Perryopolis police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.