UPDATED: Chief Medical Examiner Says Lt. Thomas Forbes' Death Was Suicide

The chief medical examiner's office reported today that Lt. Thomas Forbes, a 30-year-veteran of the Groton City Police Department, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Forbes, who was in his mid 50s, was found in the station by a fellow officer at 8:30 a.m. Monday.

Former Groton City Police Chief Larry Gerrish said he saw Forbes about ten days ago when he became a member of the Groton Lodge of Elks. Gerrish sponsored his friend, who he’d worked with for 20 years.

“He had never mentioned anything to me and to this point, I don’t know what prompted that action,” Gerrish said. “It’s a big puzzle. I don’t know if we’ll ever find out what it was that caused him to do that. I certainly don’t know.”

The Hartford Courant recently reported on two other police officers who also took their own lives.

New Britain Police Capt. Matthew Tuttle shot himself to death after being arrested on drunken driving charges, and Rocky Hill Sgt. Leonard Kulas killed himself at a cemetery, The Courant reported.

The Connecticut State Police Major Crime Squad and members of the New London States Attorney's Office were investigating Forbes’ death.

The Groton City Council held a moment of silence in his memory Monday.

“I relied on him extensively and I can’t say enough good about him,” Gerrish said in a phone interview after the meeting.  “He was a dedicated servant, he was a great family man. He loved his job and was good at it.”

“You can’t live in the city without knowing all of the police in the city,” said Town Councilor Harry Watson, who said Forbes’ wife taught three of his children at Sacred Heart School. She teaches in Groton Public Schools, and the couple has two daughters who are older and no longer live at home. The family lives in Ledyard, Gerrish said.

 Groton Mayor James Streeter said he worked closely with Forbes when Streeter was chief investigator at Electric Boat, and later, when he worked at the state forensics lab.

“He was a very intelligent person, a very organized person,” Streeter said. “He paid extreme attention to details.”

Forbes and his wife also took their children to the Streeter’s home in Vermont years ago, Streeter said. He said he ran into the couple on Saturday, at a local restaurant at breakfast.

“Tommy was very close to his family,” Streeter said.

Gerrish, who was recently elected to the City Council, said that for most of the time he was chief from 1998 until 2002, Forbes was his second in command.

“Just personally speaking, he was probably, in my opinion, one of the finest policeman that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and working with,” he said.

Forbes was well-educated; Gerrish believes he had a master’s degree in criminal justice. Forbes had also recently graduated from the National FBI Academy.

He was connected to other law enforcement agencies and wrote a number of state and federal grants to obtain money for city police, such as for seat belt and drunk driving enforcement. Gerrish said Forbes also helped obtain a grant for a motorcycle to handle traffic enforcement, and for an all-terrain vehicle to patrol housing projects in the city.

Forbes was involved in Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and had served on its board of trustees.

In addition, he was on the retirement board in Groton City.

“He was at a point where he talked about retirement, like a lot of policeman do when the time comes that they are eligible,” Gerrish said. “I know he had talked about it.”

Gerrish said he spoke to one of Forbes’ sisters-in-law Monday, who said relatives and friends were consoling his family.