'He wanted to die'

COUPLE: Justin Crowley-Smilek with his girlfriend, Destiny Cook, in a photo she provided.

Contributed photo

'He wanted to die'
Justin Crowley-Smilek’s girlfriend says he left home Saturday not planning to return
By Doug Harlow
Staff Writer
November 23
FARMINGTON -- Justin Crowley-Smilek left his apartment Saturday morning without his wallet, his watch or his cellphone.

Justin Crowley-Smilek, who was shot to death by a police officer near that spot on Saturday.

His girlfriend, Destiny Cook, who had stayed with him Friday night, said she now believes Crowley-Smilek knew he would not be coming back Saturday.

She said she believes he had intended to die that morning -- one way or the other.

A short time after he left home, Crowley-Smilek, 28, a former U.S. Army Ranger who suffered from combat stress and physical injuries from service in Afghanistan, was dead; shot multiple times by a police officer outside the Farmington municipal offices on U.S. Route 2.

Police Chief Jack Peck said Officer Ryan Rosie, who shot the former soldier, was countering deadly force with deadly force. Crowley-Smilek had a knife and acted in a threatening way toward the police officer, Peck said.

Cook said Crowley-Smilek wanted to settle down, raise his own food and start a family. He was buying a house in Mount Vernon, but had become increasingly paranoid in recent weeks and suffered from constant and severe back pain, she said.

It all finally caught up with him.
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