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Ohio Officer Says Felt ‘Imminent Threat’ in Walmart Shooting
By: Associated Press
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DAYTON, Ohio (AP) – A southwest Ohio police officer who fatally shot a black man in a Walmart store says he believed he faced an “imminent threat,” while also acknowledging he never saw the man point what turned out to be an air rifle or threaten anyone.
Beavercreek officer police officer Sean Williams made his statements during a deposition in a federal civil suit filed by the family of 22-year-old John Crawford III. Crawford was killed Aug. 5, 2014, after police responded to a 911 call about someone waving a rifle in a store in Beavercreek, a Dayton suburb.
Depositions show police relied on the lone 911 caller. A grand jury and federal prosecutors declined to file charges against Williams.
The civil case is scheduled for trial next month.