In the quiet, rural town of North Canaan, Connecticut, the tranquility of a late Saturday afternoon was shattered on September 19, 2015, by an act of violence that claimed the life of 55-year-old Brian Johnson, a male resident and retired Connecticut State Police dispatcher. The incident, which unfolded at Johnson's home on Mountain View Lane, was part of a triple shooting that left two others critically injured.
The events of that day began to unfold around 5 p.m.
in the nearby town of Sheffield, Massachusetts, where local police responded to reports of an argument and shots fired on Davis Lane. By the time officers arrived, the individuals involved had already departed. Shortly after, at approximately 5:38 p.m., emergency dispatchers in Litchfield, Connecticut, began receiving multiple 911 calls reporting a shooting at the Mountain View Lane residence. State troopers who responded to the scene discovered three men with gunshot wounds.
Brian Johnson was pronounced dead at his home. The other two victims were identified as his brother, 51-year-old Bruce Johnson of Sheffield, Massachusetts, and their 55-year-old cousin, Anthony Carrubba, also from Sheffield. Bruce Johnson was identified by authorities as the person responsible for the shooting. He was found with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was airlifted to Hartford Hospital with life-threatening injuries. Anthony Carrubba also sustained life-threatening injuries and was initially transported to a local hospital.
Brian Johnson had dedicated 27 years of his life to serving as a state police dispatcher at Troop B in North Canaan before his retirement in 2013, which he took to care for his elderly parents. The investigation into the violent family dispute was handled by detectives from the Western District Major Crime Squad, who worked to piece together the circumstances that led to the fatal shooting. Police indicated that there were no other suspects and no ongoing threat to the public.
