The family of the 22-year-old man killed in Walmart by police in Beavercreek, Ohio, nearly nine years ago has restarted the appeal process for the wrongful death lawsuit filed against the giant retailer after an appeals judge who ruled on the claim was found to have owned stock in Walmart.
John Crawford III was shot to death inside the retail store by Beavercreek police officer Sean Williams on Aug. 5, 2014.
Crawford was browsing an aisle while shopping inside the suburban Dayton Walmart and talking to his girlfriend on his cellphone. He was carrying an unboxed BB/pellet gun he found on a store shelf and was shot in the pet aisle after the police responded to someone inside calling 911. The caller reported “a black male” walking around the store with a rifle and pointing it at children.
Related: 911 Caller Involved in Wrongful Death of John Crawford III Will Not be Charged
Video of the shooting proved that Crawford did not point the BB gun at anyone and was holding the pellet gun pointed down when he was shot.
His girlfriend LeeCee Johnson heard the shooting and said she heard Crawford say, “It wasn’t real” after being shot.
Williams approached Crawford and screamed, “Get down, get down, get down” before shooting Crawford and blowing off his elbow.
After handcuffing the 22-year-old as he lay moaning on the floor, Williams applied a tourniquet and tapped him on the face to keep him conscious. Williams told the dying man that help was on the way and “we’re here to help you.”
Another Walmart shopper — Angela Williams — had a heart attack and died when she heard the shots and began to run away before collapsing. A federal grand jury declined to indict Williams in 2017 for killing Crawford.
Crawford’s family settled a wrongful death lawsuit in 2020 against the city, Williams, the Beavercreek Police Department, Officer David Darkow and former Police Chief Dennis Evers for $1.7 million and police policy…
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