A new federal civil rights lawsuit was filed on Friday, on the second anniversary of the deadly shooting of 13-year-old Tyre King. Witnesses say that the white police officer who killed King used a racial slur after firing the gun, and that a toy gun the eighth-grader had was not even visible when the confrontation occurred.
The lawsuit was filed by Tyre King’s grandmother, and challenges the police account, instead identifying his death the result of racial discrimination, excessive force, and a failure by the police department to fully investigate and discipline officers for racially motivated or unconstitutional behavior.
The lawsuit said that by “tacitly authorizing” their behavior, “the policymakers and those responsible for hiring, training, and supervision of police officers within the City of Columbus acted negligently, recklessly, intentionally, willfully, wantonly, knowingly and with deliberate indifference to the serious safety needs of the citizens of Columbus, including Tyre King.”
