Perpetrator
Victim
Date:
2014-08-05Location:
Beavercreek, Ohio
What happened:
A white Ohio police officer fatally shot a black man, John Crawford III, in a Walmart store on August 5 2014 after Crawford took a bb/pellet gun off a Walmart store shelf. Williams and his partner were called to the store after someone made a 911 call claiming someone was waving a rifle in the air of the store. Officer Williams later claimed he believed he faced an “imminent threat”, although he acknowledges he and his partner didn’t observe anyone running, screaming or in pain and didn’t hear or smell gunfirenever. Moreover, he never saw Crawford point (what turned out to be a pellet gun) or threaten anyone. Additionally, Ohio is an “open carry state”. Crawford was only 22 years of age when murdered and left behind two sons- nearly 2-year-old John Henry IV and 5-month-old Jayden.
Another Walmart shopper Angela Williams, 37, who worked at a Springfield nursing home, died of a heart condition after Officer Williams fired his weapon and she tried to flee the store.
Williams, a nine-year veteran on the force, was involved in Beavercreek’s first fatal police-involved shooting on June 27, 2010. In that shooting, Williams shot and killed retired Air Force Master Sgt. Scott A. Brogli, 45, after the man allegedly charged him and another officer while carrying a large kitchen knife. Brogli died from a single gunshot wound to the chest, as his 17-year-old son watched the incident unfold.
About The Perpetrator:
David M. Darkow is a white male police officer sergeant with the Beavercreek Police Department.
About The Victim:
John Crawford III, an African American male, was only 22 years of age when murdered and left behind two sons- nearly 2-year-old John Henry IV and 5-month-old Jayden.
Outcome:
The DOJ Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Southern Ohio conducted an investigation and informed the public on July 11, 2017 that evidence from their investigation was “insufficient to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Officer Williams violated [Crawford’s] federal civil rights. As a result, a grand jury in Greene County declined to indict Officer Williams on charges of reckless homicide or negligent homicide.
Officer Williams was placed on desk duty after the shooting but was immediately placed back on full active duty at the conclusion of the DOJ investigation per the Beavercreek Police Chief’s orders.
John Crawford III’s family has filed a civil suit which is ongoing. The initial civil lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Dayton by members of Crawford’s family, listed 17 counts against the defendants, ranging from assault and battery against the officers directly involved in the shooting, to negligent training and supervision against Evers and the city of Beavercreek, to negligence against Wal-Mart, as well as other charges. In the lawsuit documents, the family asked for a jury trial and compensatory damages in excess of $75,000.
Sources:
Ohio Police Officer Who Shot and Killed Black 22yo Says He Faced Imminent Threat; Officer Who Killed Walmart Shopper Carrying Air Rifle Won't Face Federal Charges; Beavercreek Police Officer Darkow Back On Job; Beavercreek Officer Who Shot John Crawford III Back on 'Full Duty'; Beavercreek Officers Granted Third Lawsuit Delay;