GLASTONBURY, Conn. (AP) _ A volunteer firefighter in Connecticut apologized for
suggesting during a confrontation with a Black Lives Matter leader that a drug
used to revive opioid overdose victims should be banned so that ``when people
overdose, you let them die.''
The Hartford Courant reports that the exchange between Glastonbury
firefighter James Stanley and activist Ivelisse Correa happened Sunday during a
food drive organized by Black Lives Matter activists.
In a video that she shot, Correa asks Stanley why Glastonbury residents are not
dealing with the opioid epidemic in their own backyard. Stanley responds, using
a curse word, ``Why don't you get rid of Narcan and when people overdose, you
let them die.''
Narcan is the brand name for a device that delivers naloxone, a drug used to
treat people who have overdosed on opioids.
Stanley apologized for the comment when the Courant reached out to him by
Facebook messenger.
``I too have suffered loss to substance addiction and understand how hurtful my
words were,'' he wrote. ``This comment in no way represents my character or
conduct as a 20-year veteran of the fire service.``
The Glastonbury Fire Department said on its Facebook page that the comment was
``by no means a reflection of those who dedicate themselves to protecting the
residents and visitors of Glastonbury.``
The department added in the Facebook post, ``This is a personnel matter, and there will be no further comment.''
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