(WWJ) - The family of a man killed by Lansing police has filed a lawsuit against the department and the officers they say were responsible.
James Harrington, Vice President and Managing Partner of Fieger Law, announced at a press conference on Tuesday that the law firm filed a $100 million lawsuit on behalf of the family of Stephen Romero in Federal Court against the City of Lansing and Lansing Police Officers Donovan Moore, Jeff Kurtz and an unnamed third officer.
Romero was killed on Dec. 1 outside of his home after police were called for a domestic dispute, authorities said.
In released body camera footage, officers are heard ordering Romero to get on the ground. Romero complies and raises his hands above his head after dropping the items he was holding.
According to a statement made by Fieger Law, “rather than using de-escalation techniques, officers commenced an uncoordinated rapid intervention. Romero’s response when he saw and heard the charge was non-threatening and conveyed that excessive aggressive posture was unnecessary.”
Romero is seen on the video raising his shirt with one hand to indicate to officers that he had a gun. His hand then goes down to gun in his waistband.
“Romero slowly lowered his left hand and used it to raise the t-shirt he was wearing to show the defendant officers that he was lawfully possessing a handgun on his own property,” the statement by Fieger Law said. "As Romero communicated his intent to surrender the firearm, never threatening the officers in any way, defendants Moore and Kurtz fired a total of at least fourteen rounds at Romero, without justification.”
Lansing Police also released three 911 calls that were made during the incident. The first call is from a woman who says her husband “slapped” her and he was “really drunk.” The second call, made after the first, is from an unnamed witness. The witness says they heard a shot coming from a house nearby and a woman “crying and screaming.” The witness says they didn’t see it because their door is closed, but their son told them the woman was shot. The third call is made as the police arrive and is from one of the victim’s children. The dispatcher asks the child if someone shot their mom and the child says no, that she was slapped but not shot. The child says that the gun was fired to “scare” their mom.
The Lansing Police said at the beginning of the body camera video that the officers were told by dispatch that they were responding to a “physical domestic assault between a husband and wife that escalated to gunfire and the report of an involved female being shot while officers were enroute to the scene.”
In the statement by Fieger Law, “approximately seven of the bullets were fired from one of the police officer’s Glock 9mm pistol while the other approximately seven bullets came from an AR-15 style .223 rifle. In the end, Romero was struck by at least six of the bullets from the unjustified gunfire.”
Romero had one child, a 2-year-old daughter, with his wife Ashly, and three stepchildren, ages 7, 11 and 12.
“Mr Romero was wrongfully killed by a police firing squad and the Romero family needs answers and justice,” Harrington said. “Mr. Romero was complying with every single officer command and rather than de-escalating the situation, the officers chose to kill a man in front of his family. The police violence must end.”
The two officers that were involved in the shooting, Moore and Kurtz, have been placed on administrative leave during the investigation, authorities said.
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