MEMPHIS (CN) - The U.S. Marshals Service let a "paranoid ... psychotic and delusional" marshal drive across two states with a loaded gun, with which she shot a police officer, who was forced to shoot her to death in self-defense, the wounded officer claims in Federal Court.
Memphis police Officer Patrick Taylor claims U.S. Marshal Mary Fisher's supervisors sent her home alone to Tennessee from training in Atlanta, with her gun, though they knew that "her behavior had become highly inappropriate and bizarre."
Fisher's immediate supervisor, Scott Sanders, was so concerned with her "extremely odd" behavior he sent her home to Memphis and even offered to fly back with her, but she insisted on taking a government van, Taylor says.
Sanders let Fisher take her gun, though he was so concerned about her behavior that he called her frequently on the road, and noticed that she was becoming "increasingly confused, displayed paranoid thoughts, and was psychotic and delusional," according to the complaint.
The Marshals Service sent officers to look for her, but never used the GPS system to track her gun, Taylor says.
"Mr. Sanders and other United States' employees knew or had reason to know that given her bizarre behavior and altered mental state, it was not safe for Ms. Fisher to be in possession of a firearm," according to the complaint. Taylor says he pulled her over at around 6 a.m. because she was driving erratically; she shot him in the leg and he had to kill her in self-defense.
The defendant United States gave Fisher the gun with which she shot him, and sent her home from training knowing she was in a delusional and dangerous state, Taylor says.
He seeks $1.5 million for negligence.
The shooting happened in September 2007.
Taylor is represented by Jeffrey Rosenblum with Rosenblum & Reisman.
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