Associated Press
The Justice Department has begun its latest review of police
department practices following a grand jury's decision not to
indict officers in the fatal shooting of a man at an Ohio
Wal-Mart.
The government said its investigation will be "thorough and
independent." and it would take appropriate action if evidence was
found that civil rights laws were broken.
A special Greene County grand jury in Xenia on Wednesday opted
not to issue any indictments in the Aug. 5 death of 22-year-old
John Crawford III in Beavercreek, Special Prosecutor Mark Piepmeier
said.
A 911 caller reported that Mr. Crawford was waving what appeared
to be a rifle in the store. Police said he didn't obey commands to
put down what turned out to be an air rifle taken from a shelf.
Mr. Crawford's family, which called for a federal investigation
to see if race was a factor, said it was "incomprehensible" that
police weren't indicted. Mr. Crawford was black and the officers
are white.
"The Crawford family is extremely disappointed, disgusted and
confused," the family said in a statement. "They are heartbroken
that justice was not done in the tragic death of their only
son."
Store surveillance video shown during the announcement shows Mr.
Crawford was walking in the aisles while apparently talking on a
cellphone. Mr. Crawford picked up the air rifle--which Mr.
Piepmeier said had apparently been taken out of a box and left on a
shelf--and continues walking through the store. A short time later,
police arrived and Mr. Crawford was shot twice while still holding
the air rifle. Mr. Crawford was from Fairfield in suburban
Cincinnati.
The Justice Department has opened civil rights investigations
into the practices of some 20 police departments in the past five
years, with the latest in Ferguson, Missouri.
Ferguson dealt with days of disturbances after police shot an
unarmed black man.
Beavercreek's per capita income of $37,987 is well above the
state average. About 2.5% of its residents are black, well below
the state average of 12.5%.
The Crawford family accused Mr. Piepmeier and Ohio Attorney
General Mike DeWine of not attempting to get an indictment. They
also said the store surveillance tape proves that Mr. Crawford's
death wasn't justified.
Prosecutor Stacey DeGraffenreid, who assisted Mr. Piepmeier,
said Mr. Crawford was shot twice by one officer, once in the elbow
and once in the side under the rib area slightly from the front to
the back. Ms. DeGraffenreid said Crawford was shot while holding
the rifle, then dropped it, falling to the floor. She says no other
shots were fired.
"This was a real tragedy," Ms. DeGraffenreid said in a telephone
interview. But she said that based on what information the officers
had when they entered the Wal-Mart, they were doing what they had
been trained to do.
Lori Shaw, a University of Dayton law professor who has been
following the case, said she wasn't surprised with the grand jury's
decision.
"I think in this particular instance, because the police had
reason to believe that a weapon was involved, it made it much less
likely that there would be a charge," Shaw said.
Copyright 2014 Associated Press
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