Eugene Craig and wife
The widow of an 86-year-old Navy veteran who was gunned down by armed intruders in his own home, has filed a lawsuit against her husband's killers — the Santa Clara County sheriff's department.

Eugene Craig was gunned down by police as he attempted to shield his wife from armed intruders who'd just broken into his home. The armed intruders were cops.

On Sept. 12, 2016, according to Harue Craig's attorneys, prior to the shooting, deputies kicked down two doors before opening fire inside the Craigs' Saratoga home on Titus Avenue.

As KTVU reports, attorneys said their client stated that both she and her late husband were "very scared" and did not know why their doors were being kicked down.

The elderly couple thought they were victims of a home invasion, so Eugene grabbed his .38 caliber revolver and bravely stood in front of his wife as they listened to the intruders come into their home.

When the intruders opened the bedroom door, they saw the elderly vet standing there with the revolver and one deputy opened fire. Although there were multiple deputies in the home, deputy Doug Ulrich was the only one who felt the need to begin shooting.

Eugene died on the scene.

According to police, they were at the home to conduct a welfare check. The sheriff's office said that deputies clearly identified themselves, called the home phone, and tapped on windows repeatedly before entering.

in spite of their alleged efforts to identify themselves, the couple still didn't believe them. After all, they were both entirely innocent and cops coming into their home was a far-fetched idea. Any home invader could simply claim they're the police to easily gain entry into someone's home.

The tragic irony of this situation is that police claim they were there to protect the couple, noting that they had gotten word that someone inside the home was in distress. Sadly, this is what happens when militarized police are sent into an innocent couple's home to check on their wellbeing.

After he killed the innocent elderly Navy veteran, Ulrich was placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure in officer-involved shootings in the county.

Naturally, after they killed the innocent man — while 'protecting' him — police immediately attempted to justify their actions.