After a young man was gunned down by police officers in a Walmart supermarket, his family may pursue legal action against the officers. The 22-year-old father of two, soon to be three, allegedly picked up a toy gun, and the Ohio officers began firing at him. His family may file a wrongful death suit against the officers, claiming that the man’s death was unjustified.
The man and the mother of his children were in the area visiting family members. The woman claimed that she was talking to the man on the phone while he was in the Walmart. She claimed that the man told her he was looking at video games, and then he decided to go look at toy guns. The woman said that, shortly thereafter, she heard the man exclaim that the gun was not real. She says she then heard other men tell him to get on the ground, which was followed by gunshots.
The "toy" gun that the man was holding may have been a BB/pellet rifle. These types of guns are typically used to kill vermin, and they are very unlikely to cause fatal harm if shot at a human. The two officers, one of whom was a sergeant, were placed on paid leave while an investigation is underway.
The man’s family has already begun working with a civil rights group about filing the Ohio wrongful death suit. If the suit is successful, then the family would likely be awarded a monetary judgment for damages such as funeral costs and loss of the man’s future support and companionship. Additionally, a successful suit may help them feel as if some sense of justice was served in this tragic situation.
Source: hngn.com, “Ohio Man Holding Realistic Gun Killed By Police in Walmart“, Ashley Helms, Aug. 8, 2014