[CT] Cop on cop murder-suicide - Trooper Diaz. Officer McDermott

No Longer Here

Newington Police Officer Ciara McDermott

and Connecticut State Trooper Victor Diaz

November 21, 2005
A Connecticut state trooper shot and killed his ex-girlfriend, a Newington police officer, then turned the gun on himself in a murder-suicide Monday evening.

Ciara McDermott, 30, was found dead around 6:30 p.m. in her house at 348 Ridgewood Road. Sources said she was killed by state Trooper Victor Diaz, who was scheduled to turn himself in to West Hartford police earlier Monday on charges he harassed McDermott.

...a Newington school bus dropped off about 40 officers, some in uniform, some not. They walked quietly and slowly in two straight lines toward McDermott's home, then stood at attention and saluted the tan Colonial house. The officers afterward walked quietly back to the bus...

TROOPER DIAZ HAS BEEN IN THE NEWS BEFORE

Mar. 6, 2005 - State Police Trooper Victor Diaz is charged with reckless driving, engaging in pursuit, interfering with a police officer, threatening and driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

Mar. 7, 2005 - Trooper Diaz refused to take a breathalyzer test on the side of the road and had to be subdued to be taken into custody. Police said they found an illegal knife in Diaz's glove compartment.

Apr. 1, 2005 - When officers tried to conduct a field sobriety test, Diaz allegedly became aggressive and resisted arrest, police said. It took three officers to subdue and handcuff him. An illegal knife was found in Diaz’ car when it was searched by officers. Diaz continued to be uncooperative when being processed on the charges and made several threatening comments at the officers.

May 27, 2005 -  State Trooper Victor Diaz, who was accused of drunken driving and several other charges while off duty, has received a special form of probation.

NEWINGTON OFFICER SHOT AND KILLED IN WEST HARTFORD
WFSB, CT
November 21, 2005
[Excerpts] State police and West Hartford police remain on the scene of a home where two police officers died Monday night. Authorities are treating the case as a murder-suicide. Investigators believe Newington police officer Ciara McDermott was shot to death by her ex-boyfriend -- a Connecticut state trooper... The call started early Monday evening when police were called here and quickly realized they had a big problem. The first officers to arrive at Ridgewood Road were sent on a medical call. Once they entered the home they quickly realized that the woman inside had been murdered. "At that point in time they checked on the victim and secured the scene," said Jack Casey of the West Hartford police department. Within minutes the huge search for the killer began. Police went door to door... They searched Wolcott Park... The search that paralyzed the area ended when they went back inside the Ridgewood Road home and found a second body.  "They reentered the home found a second victim in the house. Both parties are deceased. The cause and manner of death have not been determined" ... [Full article here]

TWO OFFICERS KILLED IN APPARENT MURDER-SUICIDE
Stamford Advocate, CT
November 22, 2005,
[Excerpts] A state trooper who was accused of drunken driving this year and a high school resource officer were found dead Monday night in what police described as a murder-suicide. The woman was identified Tuesday as Ciara McDermott, 30, a Newington police officer assigned to Newington High School. She was found dead on the first floor of her West Hartford home... In May, Diaz received a special form of probation after he was accused of drunken driving. West Hartford police Capt. Jack Casey said Tuesday that West Hartford police also had a warrant for Diaz's arrest on charges of misusing the computer that state police use to look up license plates and other information on criminals... News of McDermott's death hit hard in the Newington Police Department, where she was the second officer killed in less than a year. Master Police Officer Peter Lavery, 47, was shot to death while responding to a domestic violence call last December... McDermott was the daughter of longtime police officer Peter McDermott, who worked for the West Hartford and Windsor police departments and now teaches at the state Police Academy. Diaz was arrested last March after Cromwell police said he led them on a chase at speeds of nearly 100 mph. Authorities said that during a field sobriety test, Diaz became aggressive and resisted arrest. It took three officers to subdue and handcuff him, according to Cromwell police. [Full article here]

STATE TROOPER SUSPECTED IN WEST HARTFORD SHOOTING WAS SUPPOSED TO ...
WFSB, CT
Nov 22 2005
[Excerpts] ...As police and the community begin to recover from the shock of a murder-suicide involving two police officers, the investigation into how and why Newington School Resource Officer Ciara McDermott was killed by her ex-boyfriend -- suspended State Trooper Victor Diaz intensifies... The department says Diaz was supposed to turn himself in on a warrant yesterday for using a police computer to look up information not related to his job...Instead of turning himself in Monday, Diaz went to McDermott's home, shooting and killing her on the first floor of the home, then killing himself upstairs... Diaz was under suspension for a DWI charge in Cromwell and a source tells Eyewitness News he had turned in his service revolver... [Full article here]

A TROOPER'S RAGE
Courant
By Tom Puleo, Dave Altimari
November 22, 2005
[Excerpts] A state trooper shot and killed his ex-girlfriend, a Newington police officer, then turned the gun on himself in a murder-suicide Monday evening. Ciara McDermott, 30, was found dead around 6:30 p.m. in her house at 348 Ridgewood Road. Sources said she was killed by state Trooper Victor Diaz, who was scheduled to turn himself in to West Hartford police earlier Monday on charges he harassed McDermott. Diaz, 37, called his attorney, Jeffrey Ment, and left him a message Monday saying, "There's been a change of plans," sources said. He then went to McDermott's home and killed her... Diaz's body was discovered about two hours later, after police called off a manhunt for Diaz and re-entered the home, sources said. It was not clear where Diaz's body was found in the house or why it wasn't found when police originally responded... McDermott's body was discovered by a West Hartford police officer who she had started dating recently. Diaz had been serving a 60-day suspension from his job, the most serious penalty short of firing, following his arrest in March on a DUI charge. He had been ordered to turn his gun in to state police... Diaz had been arrested by Cromwell police after a chase last March. Diaz's car was found a short distance from McDermott's home... Police believe that Diaz parked the car away from the house so he wouldn't be spotted and then walked to McDermott's house. McDermott was the school resource officer in Newington... McDermott had been with the department since August 1998... Late Monday, a Newington school bus dropped off about 40 officers, some in uniform, some not. They walked quietly and slowly in two straight lines toward McDermott's home, then stood at attention and saluted the tan Colonial house. The officers afterward walked quietly back to the bus... McDermott had complained to state and local police that Diaz was harassing her by making threatening calls. Sources said West Hartford police had an arrest warrant charging Diaz with illegally accessing state police records to run a license plate of a car he saw in McDermott's driveway... Those who knew McDermott described her as a qualified police officer who loved her job... McDermott was sworn in as a Newington police officer in August 1998 - one of four new officers who had completed a 20-week training course at the Connecticut Police Academy in Meriden. A Fairfield University graduate, McDermott said at the time that she began thinking at age 12 or 13 of becoming a police officer. She cited as her "inspiration" her father... William Knapp, retired director of the training academy, said McDermott was proud of his daughter, and spoke of her often. "She's such a nice girl, a nice person. She's the human side of law enforcement... But she didn't die because she's a cop. She's a crime victim." [Full article here]

PRIOR TROUBLE:

STATE TROOPER ARRESTED FOR DUI
Cromwell-WTNH
Mar. 6, 2005
A state trooper is facing a series of charges after police in Cromwell say he was uncooperative and belligerent during a traffic stop. 37-year-old Victor Diaz was off duty when he was pulled over for reckless driving and making an illegal turn along Route 372 in a personal vehicle. Police tried to give him a breathalyzer test, but they say the off duty trooper became aggressive. He was subdued, handcuffed and taken into custody. Police also recovered an illegal knife in the car's glove compartment. Diaz was released on $5,000 bond. A spokesperson for the state police say Diaz has been suspended with pay pending the outcome of the investigation. Diaz is charged with reckless driving, engaging in pursuit, interfering with a police officer, threatening and driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. He is due in court March 15. [LINK]

STATE TROOPER ARRESTED FOR EVADING POLICE: Cromwell - An off-duty state trooper was arrested for leading police on a high speed chase and resisting arrest.
Mon, 07 Mar 2005
[Excerpts] Cromwell police released a statement Sunday evening that said Trooper Victor Diaz, 37, of Troop H in Hartford will face a slew of charges. Around 2 a.m. an officer saw a car make an illegal left hand turn out of a Wendy's restaurant, taking off at a high rate of speed... The officer followed the car and the pursuit went on for about a mile and a half, at times reaching speeds of up to 100 miles per hour... Diaz refused to take a breathalyzer test on the side of the road and had to be subdued to be taken into custody. "There were no significant injuries, just a few minor scrapes from being taken into custody, he did not like being handcuffed and was physically combative and resistant,"said Sgt. Roy Nelson... Diaz's license was suspended for 24 hours after the arrest because he refused the breathalyzer... [Full article here]

TROOPER APPLIES FOR REHABILITIATION
Middletown Press
By Amy L. Zitka
04/01/2005
[Excerpts] An off-duty State Police trooper accused of drunken driving and several other charges last month in Cromwell is seeking a special form of probation. Victor Diaz, a 37-year-old patrol trooper assigned to Troop H in Hartford, applied for the accelerated rehabilitation program Thursday in Middlesex Superior Court. Diaz was charged March 6 by Cromwell Police with driving while under the influence, reckless driving, engaging an officer in pursuit, interfering with a police officer, threatening and carrying a dangerous weapon in a motor vehicle. Accelerated rehabilitation is a program that is available to people charged with a criminal or motor vehicle violation, not of a serious nature, for which a sentence may be imposed, according to state law... A person who is granted accelerated rehabilitation is placed on probation for a period of up to two years, at which time the charges may be dismissed... [Full article here]

TROOPER GETS ACCELERATED REHABILITATION
Middletown Press
By AMY L. ZITKA
05/27/2005
[Excerpts] A State Police trooper who was accused of drunken driving and several other charges while off duty has received a special form of probation... Diaz will be on the special probation until May 26, 2006, court officials said... When officers tried to conduct a field sobriety test, Diaz allegedly became aggressive and resisted arrest, police said. It took three officers to subdue and handcuff him, according to Cromwell Police. An illegal knife was found in Diaz’ car when it was searched by officers. Diaz allegedly continued to be uncooperative when being processed on the charges and made several threatening comments at the officers, police said. An internal affairs investigation into the incident is continuing, said State Police spokeswoman Trooper First Class Donna Tadiello. The internal investigation runs independently of the criminal case. Diaz remains on administrative duties pending the outcome of the internal investigation, she said. [Full article here]
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