Monroe County, NY Sheriff's Deputy Bridget Davis
By Davy V.
According to a retired Monroe County, NY Sheriff's road patrol deputy, who asked me not to publish his name, a former co-worker, deputy Bridget Davis, the same deputy who shot a shoplifter in Pittsford, NY on January 22, 2014, was known in the department as a "retread' who always afraid.
Too afraid to do her job.
In fact, the retired deputy recalls an incident in 2009, when he and others in the Sheriff's office B Zone questioned whether deputy Bridget O'Hara, (Davis' maiden name before she married Monroe County Sheriff's Sgt. Paul Davis) should have been on the force at all.
"Myself and other deputies were responding to a call for a robbery at a convenience store located on East Henrietta Rd. and route 251, in Rush, NY, when a deputy saw some taillights on Perry Hill Rd.," said the retired deputy.
"As the deputy approached the vehicle, he realized it was deputy Bridget O'Hara, she was hiding, scared to respond to the robbery call."
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Monroe County, NY Sheriff Patrick O'Flynn |
That incident became the talk of the department.
According to the retired deputy, many fellow B Zone deputies felt they couldn't trust deputy Bridget O'Hara, should they need backup.
"I remember she was always scared," the deputy told me via phone.
"Believe me, we were all pissed off," said the former deputy, adding, "I think that's why she transferred from working B Zone in Henrietta, to A Zone in Penfield, NY."
O'Hara Transfers to A Zone, Becomes Davis, and Is Assaulted
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Vincenzo Zagari |
It was there where deputy O'Hara, now deputy Bridget Davis, was assaulted, and seriously injured by a suspect.
While walking a handcuffed suspect into the Zone A offices, the suspect pinned deputy Bridget Davis against a cement wall outside of the Linden Avenue building, and head butted her several times.
The violent assault lasted several minutes, with the suspect overpowering Davis, and ended with deputy Davis being knocked unconscious.
Deputy Davis Quits.
According to the retired Monroe County, NY Sheriff's deputy who reached out to me, deputy Davis never returned to the force after being violently assaulted by the handcuffed suspect she had arrested.
"She was never the same after that," said the former deputy.
Too afraid to return to work as a police officer, deputy Davis took a job teaching youth.
Deputy Davis Returns to Work
Approximately 4 or 5 years after she quit the force, and became a teacher, Bridget Davis returned to work as a Monroe County, NY Sheriff's deputy.
And according to the retired MCSO deputy, she should have never returned.
"She has PTSD that was never treated, and Sheriff Patrick O'Flynn knows about this."
When I asked the deputy why would O'Flynn want someone on the force who is afraid to do her job, his reply was simple.
"Because he likes her."
"If O'Flynn likes you, he will do anything to help you."
"But if he doesn't like you, he will go put of his way to make your life miserable,' said the former deputy.
According to O'Flynn, deputy Bridget Davis confronted Zagari after he fled a Wegmans supermarket in Pittsford, NY.
Zagari, who has struggled with a drug addiction, had allegedly shoplifted some items from the store.
At one point, according to O'Flynn, Zagari fled in a vehicle, crashed with another vehicle, then ran behind M&T Bank, across the street from the Wegmans food market.
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The scene after Monroe County, NY Sheriff's deputy Bridgette Davis shot shoplifter |
According to O'Flynn, Zagari then displayed a weapon, which is when deputy Davis shot Zagari in the chest.
It makes sense that Monroe County, NY Patrick O'Flynn liked deputy Bridget Davis.
After all, when O'Flynn finally addressed Rochester's news media after taking several hours to get his story straight, he seemed too quick to want to get out in the media, and in the court of public opinion, that deputy Bridget Davis had a stellar record.
Vincenzo Zagari's family has denounced the shooting of their son.
They have called it excessive force, and maintain that Monroe County, NY Sheriff Patrick O'Flynn is lying and covering up for his deputy.
Zagari's family says their son was shot multiple times, something "O'Flynn denied.
I asked the retired MCSO deputy, given what he knows about deputy Bridget Davis, which until now, has never been revealed, only here on my blog, what his thoughts were about the shooting.
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Scene of the shooting |
"To shoot someone several times seems excessive," said the deputy, adding, "I personally think that she was losing the battle and she shot this kid."
Then the retired deputy told me something I found very interesting, something as an activist exposing police misconduct and corruption, I have spoken and written about extensively.
Cops who are hot headed and over zealous.
Cops who instead of diffusing and de-escalating a situation, escalate them.
Cops who are hot headed and over zealous.
Cops who instead of diffusing and de-escalating a situation, escalate them.
The former deputy told me that deputy Bridget Davis is known by many on the force as a hot headed cop.
"A lot of deputies don't like her because she's hot headed," he said.
"In fact when O'Flynn went on the news and said she had a stellar record, a lot of my former colleagues who are still on the force were disgusted."
"Many were frustrated because the taxpayers don't even know that she is a retread."
Well, thanks to this former deputy they know now.
"She's very immature," the former deputy said.
"When she was coming out of training, one of her Field Training Officers (F.I.O.) gave her a bad mark for something," he said.
"She refused to ever talk to that Field Training Officer again after that."
The former deputy then ended our phone conversation with several comments which shed new light on what was perhaps a completely unnecessary shooting of a young man who needed help for his drug addiction, not to be nearly killed.
"Personally, I think knowing from the past that she should have waited for back up, that's what happened last time when she got assaulted and knocked unconscious, she didn't wait for back up."
"I don't think she should have been on the road, that's my opinion," added the former deputy.
"It's like the time the deputy found her hiding in her car on Perry Hill Rd., she was scared, she didn't want to be the first one on the robbery scene."
"I think there's a lot of things going on in her head."
After the shooting, the former deputy said everyone on the force knew nothing would happen to deputy Bridgette Davis,
"Everyone said Bridget is liked by the Sheriff, so she will be fine, she's gonna be ok."
And then the former deputy said what was perhaps the most important thing in our phone interview.
"Maybe she wanted him wanted him dead, dead men tell no tales."
Maybe she did.
Note: After spending almost two months in the hospital, and having undergone several surgeries, Vincenzo Zagari was arraigned toay on multiple charges.
Note: After spending almost two months in the hospital, and having undergone several surgeries, Vincenzo Zagari was arraigned toay on multiple charges.
