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Taser Cop Penned Apology In Suicide Note
By
Ellen T
Published Oct 14, 2009
Modified Oct 14, 2009
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By
Ellen T
Published Oct 14, 2009
Modified Oct 14, 2009
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Michael Pigott, the NYPD lieutenant who gave the order to fire a Taser that resulted in the death of an emotionally disturbed man, took responsibility for his actions - to the very end.
Newsday shared some of the lieutenant's last words, which were hand-written in a suicide note to his wife and three children. He wrote, "I was trying to protect my guys that day... I can't bear to lose my family and go to jail." The note, which apologized "for the mess" and took responsibility for giving the order to fire the Taser was found after Pigott shot himself to death last year in an NYPD command center in Brooklyn. After Pigott's death, it was reported that the Brooklyn DA's office wasn't considering charging the 21-year veteran.
Pigott's widow is suing the city; court papers say that the NYPD's statements "caused [him] to become humiliated, distraught, depressed, and caused him to commit suicide."
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