(NECN: Brian Burnell) - A Connecticut police officer says he was depressed "beyond" depression after shooting a rampaging chimpanzee a year ago. Days later that officer was told he would not be covered for post traumatic stress because he shot an animal, not a human.
On February 16TH, 2009 Travis went crazy. The 200-pound chimpanzee had lived in Stamford, Connecticut with his owner, Sandra Herold, for years. On this day, though, Travis turned what Stamford police officer Frank Chiafari describes as a monster. He got out of the house and when Charla Nash, a friend of Herold's, tried to coax him back inside he attacked her. Officer Chiafari will never forget that day. In the video you are about to see Charla Nash was wearing a mask on the Oprah Winfrey show 3 months ago.
Officer Frank Chiafari, Stamford CT PD: "I see this person scalped and I don't want to get into the gory things... fingers ripped off an everything... yeah, it's going to get to you. You have this terrible scene of carnage. And then I have this, for all intents and purposes, this, at the time, a monster. This thing was 200-pounds with fangs and blood all over his hands after just eating this poor woman in a frenzy. Banging on my car. I came this close to getting ripped apart myself. I can't get that out my head this face coming at me with bloody teeth."
Officer Chiafari went home that night a changed man and not for the better. He has nightmares about that day. He suffers from depression. He told a group of lawmakers that at times he can't believe his own eyes anymore.
Officer Frank Chiafari, Stamford CT PD: "I'd be walking in the mall and I'd see people, women, without faces. That's how bad it got."
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Officer Chiafari says he suffers from post traumatic stress disorder. The city and state that pay him, though, refused to recognize that. And their denial came quickly.
Sgt. Joe Kennedy, Stamford Police Union: "Just 5 days after the incident officer Chiafari received and unsolicited letter from the State of Connecticut saying that, in their opinion, he was perfectly fine and suffered no injury or stress from the incident."
That meant no health coverage for PTSD. By the letter of the law Officer Chiafari didn't qualify because he had shot an animal... not a person. He was in Hartford asking lawmakers to change that law.
Officer Frank Chiafari, Stamford CT PD: "I didn't even know what post traumatic stress was before this. I use to hear about it and I didn't even know if I believed in it. Well, I found out it is a real thing.
At one point Officer Chiafari was asked if he's met Ms. Nash, the woman who was ripped apart by that Chimpanzee. He says he hasn't. That he probably will, someday, but that now is not a good time.
