Crawford family meets with U.S. official

Parents of a man killed at a Wal-Mart meet with the U.S. attorney general.

John Crawford III’s parents and their attorney met Friday with U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and were “encouraged” that the Department of Justice investigation into their son’s death at the hands of a Beavercreek police officer is nearing completion.

Attorney Michael Wright said he was joined by John Crawford Jr. and Tressa Sherrod in a two-hour meeting with Lynch, Civil Rights Division Chief Vanita Gupta and other attorneys at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.

“This is the first time in awhile that we’ve been encouraged that something may, in fact, happen related to getting this family justice,” Wright told this news organization. “Based on our conversation, we were pleased with the progress that has been made.”

The meeting came more than two years after the DO J investigation into the Walmart police-involved shooting began — the same day a Greene County special grand jury declined to charge anyone with a crime after the Aug. 5, 2014, shooting.

Wright represents Crawford’s parents in a federal wrongful death lawsuit that has been delayed by the secretive DO J probe.

Wright had called for insight into the lengthy process that has stopped him from deposing Beavercreek police officer Sean Williams — who fired the shots that killed the 22-year-old

Fairfield resident — and Sgt. David Darkow. U.S. District Court Judge Walter Rice has allowed the officers to avoid depositions because of the federal inquiry.

Beavercreek police said they told Crawford to drop what he had in his hands — later found to be a BB/pellet rifle he picked up from an open box on a store shelf — and then fired twice when Crawford failed to respond. Crawford’s attorneys said Crawford was on his cellphone and was given only a third of a second to respond before being shot twice.

Wright said Friday he presented Lynch with some pertinent information, including Beavercreek police’s use of force statistics. Wright said the Beavercreek police department also is being investigated.

Wright said he hoped the investigation would wrap up before a new president takes office, and that some of the attorneys working on the case would remain no matter who wins in November.

“I think it was a good meeting,” Wright said. “We left encouraged that they are along in their investigation, and we believe that in some short period of time, they should have what they need to move forward.”