On May 18, 2014, Ashley Ann DiPiazza, a 26-year-old Caucasian female, died from injuries sustained during a shooting in Madison, Wisconsin. The incident began when Madison police officers responded to a domestic disturbance at her apartment. DiPiazza had been in an argument with her boyfriend, which ended their relationship, and she had started drinking.
When officers arrived, DiPiazza had locked herself in her bedroom with a handgun.
A police negotiator, Officer Carey Leerek, was in communication with her. After about 45 minutes, DiPiazza emerged from the bedroom holding the gun to her own head. Officers testified that she ignored their commands to drop the weapon. At that point, two officers, Justin Bailey and Gary Pihlaja, shot her. An autopsy later showed she had been shot 11 times. Her family stated that she was never a threat to anyone but herself.
Following the shooting, the Dane County District Attorney's office investigated the incident and cleared officers Bailey and Pihlaja of any criminal liability. An internal departmental review also found that the officers did not violate departmental policy. However, DiPiazza's family filed a federal civil lawsuit, arguing that the officers used unreasonable force and violated her constitutional rights.
In July 2017, a federal jury found that former officers Justin Bailey and Gary Pihlaja had used unreasonable force against DiPiazza. The jury awarded her family $4 million in compensatory damages and a total of $3 million in punitive damages from the two officers. The third officer, Carey Leerek, who had been negotiating with DiPiazza, was found to bear no responsibility for the outcome. The city of Madison's insurance policy was to cover the damages awarded to the DiPiazza family.
