CMHA Officer Sued By Teen's Mother In Wrongful Death Suit

CMHA Officer Sued By Teen's Mother In Wrongful Death Suit

Introduction

The family of a 19-year-old teenager has filed a lawsuit against the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority officer who fatally shot him in 2020.

The wrongful-death action was filed in federal court in Cleveland by the deceased boy's mother against the CMHA officer. On Nov. 13, 2020, the officer shot the youngster after responding to a report that an armed robbery suspect was sitting in a vehicle at the King Kennedy apartment complex. CMHA officers were not wearing body cameras at the time, and a security camera that may have recorded what transpired was damaged.

A grand jury declined to indict the officer after an inquiry by Cleveland police and the Ohio Attorney General's office. The attorneys for the mother of the deceased boy accused the officer of employing excessive force.

The name of the murdered youngster was yelled at during rallies in Cleveland over police shootings that occurred both here and around the country. The inquiry was condemned by the victim's relatives, attorneys, and members of the Cleveland Community Police Commission. They also demanded that the incident be investigated by the federal government.

An autopsy revealed that the youngster was shot in the upper left part of his back, leading many to suspect he was shot while turning to flee from the cops or after he began running away.

The officer stated that he went to a call about a suspect in a vehicle and found the youngster brandishing a pistol. He was ordered out of the van by the cop. According to the cop, the boy jumped out and brandished a revolver at him.

According to the complaint, multiple witnesses, including youngsters and teens, informed investigators that they never saw the plaintiff have a pistol in his hands or aim it at the cops. Some witnesses claimed to have heard gunfire as the youngster fled from the cops.

The boy fainted after running around the corner of an apartment block. According to the complaint, police claimed to discover a pistol near his corpse, although witnesses informed investigators they never saw a gun.

According to the complaint, no crime scene photos showed the pistol near the deceased's corpse; instead, it was photographed in the back of a police car after other evidence was gathered.

The officer had previously been penalised for "behaviour unbecoming of a police officer," misusing sick leave, repeated absenteeism and tardiness, disrespectfulness and discourteousness, wilfully disregarding lawful instructions, and failing a gun-range test, according to the lawsuit.

According to the complaint, the officer's supervisors stated during yearly assessments that he needed to enhance his work ethic, decision-making abilities, reliability, and responsibility.