IU announced Tuesday that the two attorneys representing the family of John Crawford III, a 22 year-old man killed in a police shooting in August at a Wal-Mart store, will speak at 4:30 p.m. Jan. 20 in the Moot Court Room at the Maurer School of Law.
Crawford visited a Wal-Mart store on Aug. 5, 2014, in Beavercreek, Ohio. He picked up an unpackaged BB pellet rifle that was for sale. Another customer saw Crawford and called 911, thinking there was an armed subject in the store, according to an IU press ?release.
Police arrived and told Crawford to put down the weapon. At the time, Crawford was on the phone with the mother of his two children. Moments after police asked him to put down the weapon, two shots were fired, killing Crawford, according to the press release.
The event was captured on store security cameras and released after a grand jury voted against an indictment of the two police officers. An investigation is still being conducted by federal authorities.
Crawford’s family filed a wrongful death suit against Wal-Mart, the two police officers, the police chief and the City of Beavercreek in ?December.
Michael Wright and Richard Schulte are the attorneys representing the family, and the event is free and open to the public and media. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Crawford’s case occurred four days before Michael Brown was killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo.
“All we want is justice for John Crawford, and everyone responsible for John Crawford’s death should be held responsible,” Wright said at a news conference announcing the lawsuit. “The criminal justice system refused to hold those accountable, so the civil system must.”
The law school event is being hosted by the American Constitution Society and Black Law Students ?Association.
Alison Graham
