Beavercreek Wrongful Death Lawsuit Over Fatal Shooting Of John H. Crawford III Filed By Wright & Schule LLC

Beavercreek Wrongful Death Lawsuit Over Fatal Shooting of John H. Crawford III Filed By Wright & Schule LLC

Michael Wright, Founding Partner Of Wright & Schulte LLC, Held A News Conference Tuesday To Announce The Filing Of A Civil Lawsuit Against The Beavercreek Police Department And The Walmart Store in Beavercreek, Ohio.

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Wright & Schulte LLC has filed a Beavercreek wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the family of John H. Crawford III who was shot and killed by a police officer at the Beavercreek Walmart store in August. The wrongful death lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio, names as defendants members of the Beavercreek Police Department, including the officer who shot the 22-year-old Ohio man, the city of Beavercreek and the Walmart store in Beavercreek (3:14-cv-00454). The Beavercreek wrongful death lawsuit also seeks compensatory and punitive damages from the defendants. Attorney Michael Wright, a founding partner of Wright & Schulte LLC, is representing the family of John Crawford III. The law firm notes that a grand jury chose not to indict the two Beavercreek police officers involved in the shooting. On Tuesday, media outlets quoted Mr. Wright at a news conference saying, “All we want is justice for John Crawford, and everyone responsible for John Crawford’s death should be held responsible. The criminal justice system refused to hold those accountable so the civil system must.”
[reuters.com/article/2014/12/16/us-usa-ohio-shooting-police-idUSKBN0JU23N20141216, December 16, 2014]

According to the complaint, Mr. Crawford was at the Beavercreek Walmart on August 5 with his friend to buy items for a family gathering. While at the store, the lawsuit alleges that he picked up an unloaded MK-177 BB/Pellet Rifle that was unboxed and lying on a shelf, but he was not doing anything with the Pellet Rifle to cause harm to customers. The complaint further alleges that two Beavercreek police officers responded to a 911 call around 8:21 p.m. that a black man at the Beavercreek Walmart was pointing a gun at customers. The officers arrived and found Mr. Crawford talking on a cell phone held in his right hand, and holding the Pellet Rifle in his left hand pointed down at the floor, the lawsuit said. One of the officers shot Mr. Crawford approximately one second after they first made contact with him and before Mr. Crawford had time to “comply with any verbal commands the officers may have made,” the lawsuit alleges. (3:14-cv-00454)

The Washington Post reported that a Walmart spokesman said he could not talk about the specifics of the case, but offered condolences to the Crawford family and said the store’s employees “acted properly.” Beavercreek City Attorney Stephen McHugh issued a statement that acknowledged the Crawford family’s right to bring a lawsuit, and he was “confident the trial will be fair and impartial.” Mr. McHugh further stated, “We believe the evidence will prove that the officer’s actions were legally justified,” according to the Washington Post report.

[washingtonpost.com/news/national/wp/2014/12/16/john-crawfords-family-sues-wal-mart-ohio-town-police-for-wrongful-death/, December 16, 2014]
Local 12 WKRC-TV, a CBS affiliate in Cincinnati, reported that a new interrogation video released showing the police questioning Mr. Crawford’s girlfriend who was at the store with him, “raised questions about the integrity of the police investigation.” According to Local 12 WKRC-TV, a detective told state investigators that he went into the 90-minute interrogation believing that Mr. Crawford took a weapon into the Walmart store, even though video from the store’s camera showed Mr. Crawford picking up the Pellet Rifle from the shelf and not threatening anyone. The detective still believed Mr. Crawford had a real gun and his girlfriend was lying, the news station reported.

[local12.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/new-interrogation-video-death-john-crawford-22179.shtml, December 17, 2014]
The Beavercreek wrongful death lawsuit filed on behalf of Mr. Crawford’s family alleges that the Pellet Rifle at the Walmart store had been left out of its package and had been on the shelf two days before Mr. Crawford was shot. The complaint alleges that Walmart employees did not “take reasonable steps” to warn Mr. Crawford and obtain the Pellet Rifle from him after they knew that the police were on their way to the store. The complaint further contends that police officers are trained to understand that many 911 callers provide inaccurate information and the Beavercreek police officers failed to find out whether the information provided by the 911 caller was accurate and “simply killed an unarmed shopper who was not breaking any laws of the State of Ohio or the City of Beavercreek.” (3:14-cv-00454)

About Wright & Schulte LLC Wright & Schulte LLC, an experienced personal injury firm, is dedicated to the belief that America’s legal system should work for the people. Every day, the attorneys of Wright & Schulte LLC stand up for the rights of people who have been injured or wronged and fight tirelessly to ensure that even the world’s most powerful corporations take responsibility for their actions. If you’re looking for a law firm that will guarantee the aggressive and personal representation you deserve, please do not hesitate to contact Wright & Schulte LLC today. Free legal evaluations are available through yourlegalhelp.com or by calling 1-800-399-0795.

Contact: Wright & Schulte LLC 865 S. Dixie Dr. Vandalia, Ohio 45377 1-800-399-0795

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