The news and net’s been buzzing today as the Family Of Man Killed By Cops In Walmart Sues Ohio police and the corporation for a reported $75,000. More than that, footage has been circling of the police interrogation of Tasha Thomas, the then girlfriend of John Crawford who was shot and killed in the mega-store for allegedly picking up and waving a toy gun that had been out of its package and on its shelf for two days. The video shows a very aggressive approach taken and Tasha almost crumbling over what was a 90-minute round of hard hitting if-and-when questioning.
As the momentum of #BlackLivesMatter is coasting this just adds fuel to every fire…but what EXACTLY’s going on here?
Family Of Man Killed By Cops In Walmart Sues, John Crawford III went to his local Wal-Mart for a day of shopping this past summer when lawyers say he picked up a BB gun that was randomly out of its package in the store. The police officers in question, Sgt. David M. Darkow and Officer Sean C. Williams of the Beavercreek Police Department who are charged with killing Crawford, are launching back with a defense that’s likely to protect their actions (if any of the other cases thus far are any indication).
According to today’s CNN reports they state they were “responding to a call about a gentleman walking around with a gun in the store, pointing it at people and waving it back and forth.” The Family Of Man Killed By Cops In Walmart Sues and proposes a different side to the story. The federal lawsuit reads:
“Mr. Crawford never used, loaded, or pointed the pellet rifle at anyone, was doing nothing improper or illegal, and never caused any harm or acted in a manner that would cause any reasonable person to believe that he may cause harm.”
While you’re wrapping you’re head around this scenario so far, (yes, this is all because of a toy gun that was left “unpackaged” and “on its shelf for two days” in Walmart of all places, and yes, someone called the police as soon as they saw him with it, and yes, they said he was waving it at people, and yes, a police officer AND a sergeant showed up, and yes, they shot and killed him) what’s even more unsettling is the footage of the rough interrogation session of Tasha Thomas, Crawford’s girlfriend and mother to the baby son they had last year.
While the Family Of Man Killed By Cops In Walmart Sues and is tied up in the struggle of bringing the case to federal court, Detective Rodney Curd is seen and heard threatening Tasha with jail, reminding her “as a result of his actions, he is gone,” and other foul play even as the pressure mounted and she repeatedly offered to take a lie detector test. “Does he have criminal records” and “tell me where he got the gun from” being audibly asked in return for Tasha’s “I have a job and a family.”
It’s looking and sounding pretty messy right now. What do you think of all this so far?
