MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The deputy who fired the shots that killed 45-year-old Christie Cathers has been identified as Sergeant A.D. Coe.
Coe took the stand Tuesday on the second day of the wrongful death suit filed by Cathers’ estate.
The suit, filed by Gregory S. Farmerie on behalf of the Cathers’ estate, has seen a number of changes in some 22 months of legal dispute. It still names the Monongalia County Commission as a party at fault in the case.
The plaintiffs questioned Sergeant Coe, a Deputy at the time of the 2015 shooting, on the events of June 5, 2015. A Grand Jury did not indict Coe following the shooting. A review determined he had properly followed department procedures.
Deputy Bradley Broker, who was one of three deputies on the scene of the shooting in 2015, also took the stand Tuesday. The plaintiffs legal team of lead counsel Scott Segal and co-counsel Edward Amos primarily questioned Coe and Broker on the timeline of events that led up to the shooting, departmental procedures involving felony vehicles, and what level and type of training they had in dealing with members of the public suffering from mental illness.
Segal and his team are arguing that the deputies were failed by poor training. The county, represented by Cy Hill and Allison Subacz, is arguing that the actions of Cathers created the situation that led to the shooting.
The trial, which is being overseen by Harrison County Circuit Court Judge Thomas A. Bedell, is scheduled to last two weeks.