FARMINGDALE, Maine — Investigators say a man who started an armed confrontation before being killed by a state police tactical team member was angry after a friend rebuffed his request to play cards.
Investigators said that before his death 41-year-old Paul Fritze locked a man in a basement and fired shots into the door of a bedroom where a woman was hiding. Both managed to escape before the police standoff last Sept. 24.
The attorney general concluded that Trooper Timothy Black met the legal requirements for using deadly force when he fired a single shot that killed Fritze, who had pointed his gun at an armored truck used by police.
Authorities say Fritze’s previous convictions include commandeering a bus at gunpoint in New Jersey and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Good!
that’ll save some tax dollars!!
Great Job Officer….Thank You..
One less dangerous felon the lawyers can prey on, thanks Tim.
Justice.
:)
He lived down the street and had been invited to the home for a birthday party. Not exactly a Mr. Rogers type of neighbor.
Just curious. What was Mr. Fitze’s problem? I did note from other sources that his father passed away about a year ago.
He wasn’t fully rehabilitated from his previous crimes. That was his problem. Notice they said his previous convictions “include” the two they mentioned. I wonder what else he did.
Thanks. From another source, I just read this. “Paul A. Fritze, mad at his neighbor for refusing to play cards, held a gun to the man’s head and then tried to shoot his way into a bedroom where a woman hid a closet.” I was wondering if he was on “bath salts”or an equivalent.
I was reading some of the other stories earlier. I think the news about his priors would be quite a shock to the victims, especially if they had him over several times before this happened.
Are his “priors” an official public record? If so, can you post them? Just don’t want any hearsay. Thanks.
I don’t know what else was in his rap sheet. Just pointing out they used the word “include”. He spent 3 years on parole in NJ and 3 years on federal supervised release here. You can figure he behaved better during those years because a misdemeanor could get him thrown back in prison. I’ll paste the link to the full report. It gives a better description of the events that day.
http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=Portal+News&id=356095&v=article-2008