Could Widow Get Survivor Benefits after Officer Shot Himself at Work?

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To be compensable, an injury must be caused by the job in some way. A case involving the suicide of a police officer shows how critical expert testimony can be to establishing causation. 

The officer in that case suffered from diagnosed depression and anxiety. In March 2013, the conditions seemed to reach a peak as he became more depressed and panicky. At the same time, his psychiatrist had recently changed his medication and he wasn’t sleeping much because his work shift had changed. 

On March 13, during work hours and with his service revolver, he shot and killed himself. In his suicide note, he said: "I am so sorry but when the depression hit this time, I knew it was different." He explained that he had "struggled with depression most of my early life.”

The officer had also experienced traumatic events at work, such as witnessing the aftermath of a murder-suicide and holding a stabbed teenager who died in his arms. His widow sought survivor benefits. She argued that it was PTSD related to working at his job for over 25 years that caused him to commit suicide.

In court, a forensic psychiatrist hired by the police department testified that the officer’s worsening depression, combined with anxious distress, sleep disturbance, and the management of his medications, were substantial contributing factors in his suicide.

A workers’ compensation claimant must establish that the injury: 1) arose out of the employment; and 2) arose in the course of the employment. To arise out of employment, the employer’s conduct must be a substantial factor in bringing about the injury.

Was the widow’s claim compensable?

A. Yes. The officer witnessed extremely traumatic events at work.

B. No. A confluence of events that impacted or were related to his depression caused it to intensify to the point that he became suicidal.

If you selected B, you agreed with the court in Buchanan v. Town of East Hartford, No. AC 47085 (Conn. Ct. App. 07/15/25), which held that depression, not job-related PTSD, caused the officer’s death.

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In affirming an ALJ’s decision in the police department’s favor, the court relied heavily on the forensic psychiatrist’s testimony. It noted the testimony that the officer’s lack of sleep, worsening depression and panic, and medication changes, all worked together to make him susceptible to suicide.

The court also pointed to the suicide letter. The officer himself suggested that depression was not something caused by his job when he wrote that he had been suffering from it most of his life.

The court affirmed the ALJ's decision.

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