DA’s office identifies victim of officer shooting in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD — Dennis Girard, 38, died last month after police responded to a 911 call about his mental health crisis and shot him.

The Hampden District Attorney's Office announced his identity in a statement on Wednesday.

The DA's Office is overseeing the Springfield Police Department's investigation into what exactly happened and why police shot Girard. That report has not yet been completed.

Girard's cause of death is currently listed as pending on his death certificate, according to the city clerk's office.

A public records request filed with the Police Department for 911 calls, police reports and body camera footage related to Girard's death was denied, as the investigation is still open.

Bridget Mancini, Girard's sister, said she believes that her brother was struggling with suicidal thoughts when police were called to his girlfriend's house, where he was living.

"We're still waiting for the report," Mancini said. "I don't know all the facts."

Police responded to a 911 call on the 1100 block of Worcester Street on Dec. 20 at 4:40 p.m.

The DA's Office said Girard was "exhibiting psychotic behavior" and had a knife.

"Due to circumstances that remain under investigation, one officer fired his service pistol, striking the armed individual," the DA's Office wrote in a statement on Wednesday. "Officers immediately rendered medical aid; however, the man was pronounced deceased at the scene."

The officer, whose name has not been released, was put on paid administrative leave per department policy, Ryan Walsh, police spokesperson, said last month.

Mancini said Girard had served time in prison in Connecticut and was released on parole over the summer. Connecticut court records show he was incarcerated for charges including a robbery.

"We had so many plans," she said. "My kids finally were looking forward to getting to know their uncle. He's never been around for holidays and stuff. ... We were finally going to be able to be a family. I was finally getting my brother back. It's just very disappointing."

Mancini feels like the parole system let him slip through the cracks. "They set up him for failure," she said.

Girard's obituary described him as an artist, sports fan and "an amazing cat dad" who wanted to open an animal shelter. He had three cats, Mancini said.

"Dennis had a quiet strength that touched countless lives," it reads. "He was almost always smiling or making a joke, and his laughter was infectious."

Mancini also remembered him as funny. "He had such a big heart. ... He was hilarious," she said. "He was my baby brother."

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