Lawsuit filed against ex-mansfield police officer

Attorney: Man paralyzed from June 2021 shooting

A federal civil lawsuit has been filed on behalf of a Columbus man who was shot June 16, 2021, on West Fourth Street by a Mansfield police officer after police said he pulled a gun.

The lawsuit was filed June 1 on behalf of Maxwell Davis, 21, of Columbus, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division against the city of Mansfield, Mansfield Police Department Chief Keith Porch, and former Mansfield police Officer Jordan Moore.

Columbus attorney Byron L. Potts said Davis is paralyzed from the waist down after the shooting.

Davis had just left a drive-thru and was driving back home to the apartment of his fiancèe when Moore made a Uturn in the street, followed Davis to his fiancèe’s apartment and made an illegal seizure, according to the the lawsuit.

Moore then “chased, tackled, tased, choked and shot Maxwell twice in the back, in the ribs, hand, arm and chest,” the court record said.

Porch earlier said Moore had spotted someone driving a vehicle who matched the description of a suspect involved in an earlier shooting in the 400 block of Johns Avenue in which a 22-year-old man had been shot multiple times.

Vehicle fled, resulting in a pursuit

Moore tried to pull over the car, with Moore later identified as the driver, in the area of West Third Street and Sycamore Avenue but the vehicle fled and a pursuit ensued, Porch said earlier.

The driver then got out of the car and ran from Moore in the 600 block of West Fourth Street, according to Porch.

“(Moore) caught up to the suspect and during the ensuing struggle, the suspect pulled a gun at which time the officer fired his weapon, striking the suspect,” Porch said.

Moore resigned from the force in August 2021. Porch could not be reached for comment Friday.

Potts said Friday, “It is a traumatic experience and has changed his entire life and has altered how he lives.

“We will pursue this vigorously. This person (Officer Moore) had a history and never should have been on the force yet they allowed him to stay on the force,” Potts said. “It’s an unfortunate experience for a young man.”

Moore’s personnel file revealed infractions

Moore had seven departmental reprimands and two suspensions prior to the June 2021 incident in his three years on the force, according to his personnel file obtained through a public record request, the News Journal reported earlier. The infractions ranged from using profanity to not filing reports to dragging a handcuffed teenager by his sweatshirt.

In one incident, Moore was given a written reprimand in April 2020 for an outburst of profanity during an arrest, which he chalked up to adrenaline.

The man who was being held on the ground by Moore had given up and was no longer resisting, a supervisor wrote in a report. The foot chase was over.

“Got you b-----! Got you! Oh my God! F--- you!” Moore yelled after letting out a whoop.

Moore, a native of Willard, has also received six awards during his time as a Mansfield police officer, including the Legion of Merit.

Moore received the distinguished award last year after he and three other officers rescued a mother and her two children from a car that had become trapped in high water.

Grand Jury ruled Moore used justifiable force

A grand jury ruled that Moore used justifiable force in the June 2021 shooting.

Richland County Prosecutor Gary Bishop and Chief Porch issued a news release in January 2022 related to the June 16 incident.

The officer-involved shooting occurred after police had been investigating a shooting in the area of Johns Avenue in which the victim had been taken to an area hospital. A witness gave police a description of the shooter, which was relayed to all officers.

As Moore was driving to the hospital to interview the victim, he said he saw a man matching the suspect’s description driving near North Benton and West Third streets, Porch and Bishop said in an earlier news release.

Moore turned and began to follow the vehicle. When he tried to initiate a traffic stop by activating his lights, the driver, later identified as Davis, did not stop his vehicle, leading to a pursuit.

According to police, Maxwell fled from Moore, eventually stopping at a residence in the 600 block of West Fourth Street. He then fled on foot.

Plaintiff asks jury to decide monetary award

The plaintiff is asking for compensatory damages to be determined at trial, for the violation of his rights and his injuries and that punitive damages in an amount to be determined at trial, for the defendants’ “willful, wanton, malicious and reckless conduct,” according to the lawsuit.

The plaintiff wants declaratory and injunctive relief against the city of Mansfield Division of Police “enjoining policies, practices and customs shown to encourage the use of excessive and unreasonable force and the extrajudicial shooting of civilians, and ordering the institution of policies, procedures and training for the City of Mansfield Division of Police to bring them into compliance with constitutional standards.”

A jury is requested to hear Davis’ case, according to the lawsuit. lwhitmir@gannett.com 419-521-7223

Twitter: @Lwhitmir