Family of Minor League Baseball Player Files Wrongful Death After Police Shooting
A Georgia family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the City of Marietta, the Marietta Police Department, and Motel 6 after an officer shot and killed a former professional baseball player. Police shot and killed the decedent in the parking lot of a Motel 6 in a car his mother rented for him.
Police say they stopped the decedent after he was behaving suspiciously. During the traffic stop, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said that the decedent reversed his car, then struck a marked police car, which pinned an officer, causing injury. Police said the officer had to be treated at the hospital for his injuries.
According to the plaintiff’s attorney, the officer parked her car behind his car. He was, at this point, detained. His car was not free to leave. They weren’t executing an arrest warrant, so they had no reason to believe he was a violent criminal. There was no basis to believe he was going to hurt them. Police said they saw the decedent do something suspicious, so they told him to get out of the vehicle. Instead, he put his car in reverse and attempted to leave. The video then shows the female officer on his driver’s side raise her arm as she was pulling the car around. The decedent was clearly intending to avoid any interaction with them. He wasn’t trying to hurt anyone or threaten the officer.
In the dashcam video, two officers can be seen, one standing on the driver’s side where the decedent was another the other standing on the side of the passenger window. He had a friend in the passenger seat at the time of the altercation and was a guest of the hotel.
The video shows the decedent backing a red car out toward the patrol car when both officers appear to draw their guns. As the decedent continues to back out, an officer is seen up against the patrol car and the decedent’s car as he continues to back out and move around the officers. One officer can be seen falling to the ground with a gun in his hand. At that point, the female officer opens fire into the driver’s side window and shoots the decedent several times. The other officer also opened fire into the car.
The plaintiffs claim that neither officer was in reasonable fear of their life when they opened fire on the decedent.
According to the lawsuit, officers were not called to the motel to investigate any crime. Instead, in lieu of hiring private security, the motel would invite officers onto their property to patrol the area and “engage in investigations that lacked scope or limitations.”
Talk to an Atlanta, GA Wrongful Death Attorney Today
The Forsythe Law Firm, LLC represents the interests of grieving family members who have lost loved ones due to negligence. Call our Atlanta wrongful death lawyers today to schedule an appointment, and learn more about how we can file a wrongful death lawsuit on your behalf and hold the negligent party accountable for their carelessness or malice.
Source:
wsbtv.com/news/local/cobb-county/wrongful-death-lawsuit-filed-after-marietta-police-officers-shoot-kill-man/TCYMYX6DGNEU5ENKBOMOS7AZNA/
