Family sues police over killing of 30-year-old
A civil-rights advocate vowed that justice for victims of police violence nationwide will be “discovered” in Columbus in the case of Kareem Ali Nadir Jones, who was killed by city officers July 7.
The Rev. Jerome McCorry from the National Faith & Social Justice Alliance in Chicago stood outside Columbus City Hall on Thursday with members of Jones’ family. Earlier in the day, a wrongful-death lawsuit was filed in federal court against the city and two police officers.
Besides money, the suit filed in U.S. District Court in Columbus seeks an injunction against “the use of excessive and unreasonable force and the extrajudicial shooting of civilians, particularly African-Americans.”
Jones, 30, who is black, was killed after Officers Marc Johnson and Samuel James confronted him in a Franklinton neighborhood. The officers said they had seen a gun in Jones’ waistband after talking to him earlier on Schultz Avenue. Body-cam video shows that when police confronted Jones later in a backyard, he initially held his arms and empty hands out while walking backwards from the officers, who had their weapons drawn.
The officers said Jones refused instructions to lie on the ground, turned from them and started to scramble away. They shot him, the officers said and the video appears to confirm, when it appeared he was reaching for the gun.
Ohio and Columbus “have become notorious for policerelated killings,” McCorry said.
He was accompanied by Chicago attorney Andrew M. Stroth, who said police in Ohio are among the nation’s deadliest.
According to The Washington Post’s database of police shootings, Fatal Force, Ohio recorded 2.24 shootings per 1 million population in 2016. That was fewer than California’s 3.56 but more than New York’s 0.86. So far this year, Ohio has recorded 1.98 shootings per 1 million.
The Dispatch reported in 2014 that Columbus had fewer police-involved shootings per 100,000 population in 2013 and 2014 than Cleveland, which was half the size. Columbus has had 10 so far this year.
The federal suit contends the city fails to properly train and control officers, doesn’t properly investigate excessive use of force against civilians, especially AfricanAmericans, or discipline officers who engage in it.
Jones’ sister, Marica Phipps, questioned why the officers got out of the car with their guns drawn and didn’t use a Taser on him.
McCorry wondered why the officers stopped to talk with Jones in the first place.
Police said Jones had been acting erratically.
McCorry said, “When you’re the wrong color, you get stopped all the time.”
The police union contends that since Jones was armed they were already in a “lethal-force situation,” which ruled out use of a Taser.
Phipps also questioned why the officers didn’t activate their body cameras until after the shooting.
A union official said division policy is for officers to activate the camera at the start of an enforcement action, “or the first reasonable opportunity to do so.” That opportunity came after Jones was shot, he said.
When Officer James turned on his camera, it “jumps back” to show 60 seconds of video recorded before activation, but without audio during that first minute.
McCorry and Stroth said they would contact Mayor Andrew J. Ginther and Police Chief Kim Jacobs.
“We’re going to put enough pressure on them to make it uncomfortable if you don’t meet with us,” McCorry said.