Jury verdict in 2016 shooting tops $37M
Panel rules against Baltimore County, officer in Korryn Gaines’ death
A Baltimore County jury on Friday awarded more than $37 million in damages in the civil lawsuit brought by the family of Korryn Gaines, the 23-year-old Randallstown woman who was shot and killed by county police after a six-hour standoff in 2016.
The jury of six women said the first shot fired by Cpl. Royce Ruby at Gaines, killing her and injuring her then-5-year-old son, Kodi, was not reasonable and therefore violated their civil rights under state and federal statutes.
The jury awarded more than $32 million NEWS PG 8 to Kodi in damages, and $4.5 million for his sister, Karsyn.
Gaines’ father and mother were awarded $300,000 and $307,000, respectively, and the Gaines estate was awarded another $300,000. No punitive damages were awarded.
Maryland has a cap on local govern- ments’ liability in certain cases, however, and some legal experts speculated tht Gaines’ relatives might not see the full amount of the jury award.
The jury took less than three hours to reach its verdict against Ruby and the Baltimore County government.
There were gasps in the courtroom when the jury forewoman read the decision, and Gaines family members were in tears following the announcement.
The case garnered national attention, with some activists citing it as an example of excessive police force against people of color.
Kenneth Ravenell, the attorney for Kodi’s father, Corey Cunningham, said they
were “blessed” that the jury “quickly, swiftly returned a justified verdict on behalf of a child who was victimized by Officer Royce Ruby.”
“This is a great day. This is a great statement on behalf of many who have been victimized by police officers — too many — in our community,” Ravenell said.
Cunningham said the financial award will help Kodi, now 6, “get the help that he needs.”
“I’m very happy that the jury came back and saw and realized what was going on in that courtroom wasn’t right, and what happened on Aug. 1 wasn’t right,” he said.
Gaines’ mother, Rhanda Dormeus, spoke to reporters through tears outside the courthouse.
“This win is for all of my sisters in the movement who have lost their children to police violence,” she said. “Some of them have never received justice, either criminally or civil. I just want to tell them that this win is for them.”
Family attorney J. Wyndal Gordon donned a Colin Kaepernick jersey before speaking to reporters. He said he was “filled with pride” that the jury made a decision to make the family whole.
“Royce Ruby was nobody’s hero. He wasn’t a hero to his comrades or fellow officers. He wasn’t a hero to the community. He was a coward,” Gordon said.
Baltimore County government attorney Mike Field issued a statement saying the county is “disappointed” with the verdict and “is reviewing all of its options, including an appeal."
"A mother died, a child was unintentionally injured, and police officers were placed in mortal danger. By any account, this was a tragic situation,” Field said in the statement.
Through a spokesman, Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz declined to comment. Kamenetz, a Democrat, is running for governor.
A representative of Baltimore County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 4 said the union had no comment on the verdict. Police Chief Terry Sheridan, who was not with the department at the time Gaines was killed, also declined to comment through a spokesman.
Police Department spokesman Cpl. Shawn Vinson did not comment directly on the verdict, but said: “We would reiterate that the state’s attorney’s office reviewed the situation and deemed the shooting justified.”
County Council Chairman Julian Jones, a Woodstock Democrat, said the case should prompt review of Police Department policies. Jones’ district includes Randallstown.
“I just think we should really review our policies, not just Baltimore County police, but all police … in terms of when it’s necessary to shoot and is there an alternative to shooting,” Jones said.
While Gaines’ family and attorneys expressed relief the jury agreed with them and found the shooting was wrong, some said they were frustrated Ruby is still on the police force. Ruby was promoted last year from the rank of officer to corporal.
“He should be going to jail for what he did,” said Gaines’ fiance, Kareem Courtney, outside the courthouse as he held daughter Karsyn on his hip.
He said taxpayers will likely pay the damage awards related to Ruby’s actions — not Ruby himself.
The testimony and legal arguments in the trial centered on the events that led to Ruby’s shots at Korryn that day. The defense team representing the county and Ruby tried to show the officer reasonably feared he or others could have been injured or killed by Gaines.
Gaines family lawyers focused on inconsistencies in officers’ statements, including the positioning of various officers and whether they had adequate cover when standing outside the apartment. The lawyers suggested the officers changed their stories to make it look like they were in more danger than they really were.
The sequence of events began at about 9 a.m. when two officers went to the apartment to serve arrest warrants on Gaines for not appearing in court on a traffic case and on Courtney for an alleged assault. After no one opened the door, the first officers unlocked it with a key from the apartment complex and later kicked it in to break the security chain.
The first officer who went into the apartment, Officer Allen Griffin III, testified he saw Gaines holding a shotgun and immediately knew the situation was unsafe.
Precinct officers were replaced by Ruby and other officers from the county’s tactical unit. Ruby was stationed just outside the door, which was cracked open a few inches, for most of the day.
Eventually, Kodi went into the kitchen and Gaines followed. As Ruby watched, he said he saw her braids and the barrel of her shotgun raise. It was then that he fired from the building’s hallway and through drywall toward where he thought Gaines was, then he entered the apartment and shot Gaines three more times.