Latest news with #RashaudJohnson
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Parents of man shot and killed by Colorado officer after scuffle sue
The parents of a man who was shot and killed by an officer after the two had scuffled are suing the officer and accusing police in the Denver suburb of Aurora failing to end a pattern of racially discriminatory policing. The lawsuit, announced Tuesday, said Officer Brandon Mills shot Rashaud Johnson, 32, twice in the chest on May 12 when he posed no threat. Mills held him at gunpoint as Johnson bled on the ground, waiting about five minutes for another officer to arrive without trying to help, the lawsuit said. When the other officer arrived, Mills told him Johnson did not have a gun but said Johnson had tried to disarm him several times, according to police body camera footage. Mills put a single hand on one of Johnson's wounds after the officers handcuffed him, the lawsuit said. The lawsuit said Johnson, who was Black and a standup comedian, was having a mental health crisis when he was killed at a vast remote airport parking lot near where he lived. Employees had called 911 five times over about two hours asking for police to check on Johnson as he walked barefoot on the lot's hot pavement, according to the lawsuit and information previously released by police. Mills responded alone after the employees reported that Johnson was 'trying to fight them.' Johnson did not respond to Mills' questions and rushed toward the officer, according to body camera footage. Mills swung his baton and then fired his Taser before they ended up on the ground in a struggle, the footage showed. Johnson pulled one of Mills' spare ammunition magazines from his belt, the lawsuit said. After Mills pushed Johnson off of him and ordered him to move back, Mills pulled out his gun and said he would shoot Johnson if he didn't get on the ground. Johnson stood still, not far from the lot's fence, before he slowly began walking toward Mills, according to the footage. Mills then shot him from about 15 feet (5 meters) away. District Attorney Brian Mason has not yet decided whether the shooting was justified or criminal charges should be filed, said his spokesperson, Christopher Hopper. The Aurora Police Department is reviewing the shooting, city attorney Pete Schulte said. 'Like any critical incident, there are important facts that will be revealed by these investigations that are not depicted in a single body camera video. Now that this lawsuit has been filed my office will defend the city and the officer in this case,' Schulte said. Mills could not be located for comment. An email message sent to the union representing Aurora police officers was not immediately returned. Johnson's mother, Taushica Carter, said that as a military veteran, she has trouble understanding how someone who took an oath to uphold the law killed her only child. 'Someone who thought they were God, basically, took my baby's life,' she said at a news conference with her lawyers, tears running down her face. His father, Christopher Johnson, said he wanted people to know that his son was not a troublemaker and had parents who loved him. 'We want his memory to be positive and the community to understand the loss that did not have to happen,' he said.
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Washington Post
Parents of man shot and killed by Colorado officer after scuffle sue
DENVER — The parents of a man who was shot and killed by an officer after the two had scuffled are suing the officer and accusing police in the Denver suburb of Aurora failing to end a pattern of racially discriminatory policing . The lawsuit, announced Tuesday, said Officer Brandon Mills shot Rashaud Johnson, 32, twice in the chest on May 12 when he posed no threat. Mills held him at gunpoint as Johnson bled on the ground, waiting about five minutes for another officer to arrive without trying to help, the lawsuit said.
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Associated Press
Parents of man shot and killed by Colorado officer after scuffle sue
DENVER (AP) — The parents of a man who was shot and killed by an officer after the two had scuffled are suing the officer and accusing police in the Denver suburb of Aurora failing to end a pattern of racially discriminatory policing. The lawsuit, announced Tuesday, said Officer Brandon Mills shot Rashaud Johnson, 32, twice in the chest on May 12 when he posed no threat. Mills held him at gunpoint as Johnson bled on the ground, waiting about five minutes for another officer to arrive without trying to help, the lawsuit said. When the other officer arrived, Mills told him Johnson did not have a gun but said Johnson had tried to disarm him several times, according to police body camera footage. Mills put a single hand on one of Johnson's wounds after the officers handcuffed him, the lawsuit said. The lawsuit said Johnson, who was Black and a standup comedian, was having a mental health crisis when he was killed at a vast remote airport parking lot near where he lived. Employees had called 911 five times over about two hours asking for police to check on Johnson as he walked barefoot on the lot's hot pavement, according to the lawsuit and information previously released by police. Mills responded alone after the employees reported that Johnson was 'trying to fight them.' Johnson did not respond to Mills' questions and rushed toward the officer, according to body camera footage. Mills swung his baton and then fired his Taser before they ended up on the ground in a struggle, the footage showed. Johnson pulled one of Mills' spare ammunition magazines from his belt, the lawsuit said. After Mills pushed Johnson off of him and ordered him to move back, Mills pulled out his gun and said he would shoot Johnson if he didn't get on the ground. Johnson stood still, not far from the lot's fence, before he slowly began walking toward Mills, according to the footage. Mills then shot him from about 15 feet (5 meters) away. District Attorney Brian Mason has not yet decided whether the shooting was justified or criminal charges should be filed, said his spokesperson, Christopher Hopper. The Aurora Police Department is reviewing the shooting, city attorney Pete Schulte said. 'Like any critical incident, there are important facts that will be revealed by these investigations that are not depicted in a single body camera video. Now that this lawsuit has been filed my office will defend the city and the officer in this case,' Schulte said. Mills could not be located for comment. An email message sent to the union representing Aurora police officers was not immediately returned. Johnson's mother, Taushica Carter, said that as a military veteran, she has trouble understanding how someone who took an oath to uphold the law killed her only child. 'Someone who thought they were God, basically, took my baby's life,' she said at a news conference with her lawyers, tears running down her face. His father, Christopher Johnson, said he wanted people to know that his son was not a troublemaker and had parents who loved him. 'We want his memory to be positive and the community to understand the loss that did not have to happen,' he said.
CBS News
4 days ago
- CBS News
Family sues Aurora police officer who shot and killed son near parking lot
Attorneys representing the family of an unarmed man shot and killed by an Aurora police officer called that shooting "the worst Aurora police killing since Elijah McClain" and have filed a wrongful death lawsuit, he announced on Tuesday. Lawyers for the man's family say he was experiencing a mental health crisis at the time the officer shot him. Rashaud Terrelle Johnson was shot and killed by Aurora Police Officer Brandon Mills in a field next to The Parking Spot, a parking lot at East 56th Avenue and Himalaya Street near Denver International Airport, on May 12. Johnson, 32, was identified by the Adams County Coroner's Office later that month. Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said at the time that Johnson attacked Mills after police were called to the parking lot for reports of a suspicious person who parking lot employees thought was trying to break into cars. Edited body-worn camera footage from the officer, which the department released a few days later, showed Mills in a physical struggle with Johnson. The video showed that Johnson charged at Mills. Chamberlain said that during that struggle, Johnson had pulled a magazine containing extra ammunition for the officer's firearm out of its belt pouch. Video shows Mills getting off the ground and taking several steps away from Johnson. Mills draws his gun, pointing it at Johnson while giving him commands to get on the ground. "Get on the ground. Get on the ground now! Get on the ground. I'm gonna shoot you if you do not get on the ground," Mills can be heard saying in the video. Johnson starts walking toward Mills, who then shouts, "stop! Get back!" Mills then fires two shots, striking Johnson. Denver police officers arrive a few minutes later. Neil Sandhu, an attorney with Rathod Mohamedbhai LLC, the law firm representing Johnson's family, says that the public will never know why Johnson was behaving the way he did that day he was killed. "Rashaud's effervescent life was cut short when he was shot and killed by Officer Mills of the Aurora Police Department, despite the fact that Rashaud posed no imminent threat of serious bodily harm," he said. "For the next few hours, people who worked at The Parking Spot made about four 911 calls. In each of those calls, they made a few things apparent: Rashaud posed no threat. They told 911 over and over again (that) the man they were calling about did not have a weapon. The only thing they wanted was for Aurora to dispatch somebody to get Rashaud some help." Sandhu said the employees were "rebuffed" by the 911 operator each time, until Mills was dispatched. "Instead of showing him a way out, Officer Mills decided to corral Rashaud against that fence, barking commands at him and demanding answers, even though Rashaud didn't appear to register any of the questions," he said. Sandhu questioned why Mills didn't try to create space or put something between Johnson and himself after Johnson had run toward the officer. "He created a few feet of separation between him and Rashaud, pulled out his gun, and paused for a few minutes while Rashaud looked at the ground. But inexplicably, Officer Mills decided to reengage. He raised his weapon again, he again rushed towards Rashaud, and he again started barking commands at Rashaud. And it was only in that moment that Rashaud decided to look up and start slowly pacing again towards Officer Mills," he said. Johnson's mother, Taushica Carter, tearfully said at the news conference that Johnson was her only child. "This is hard. My only child is gone," she said. "I have a hard time knowing that this person took an oath and took my baby's life. There's no words I can say and the pain I feel to have my baby gone and not here with me." A stand-up comedian, Johnson performed in comedy clubs in the Denver metro area, according to his family and over two dozen local comedians, who mourned Johnson's death in a letter. "Не would remember people's jokes he liked and tell them so. Hearing that from someone makes a difference and I watched him make that difference. He made a difference for me. When I stepped away, the first night I was back I saw him and he made me feel welcome with just a smile," Denver comedian Emiyl Cornelius wrote. "A person like Rashaud is rare and I feel lucky to have known him. My thoughts are with his loved ones during this difficult time." "Rashaud was a genuinely kind guy," comedian Justin Platz wrote. "His grandma should feel immense pride for having raised such a nice person. I can't remember a conversation we had where he didn't mention his grandma or her little dog. He loved you both very much! Rashaud will be greatly missed by anyone who knew him. My thoughts and prayers go out to his friends & family. I hope ya'll find some comfort during such a tragic loss." Johnson's family's attorneys said that Johnson "died in an airport parking lot, alone and unarmed." "His toxicology screen revealed no illegal drugs in his system. The only marks on his record were a traffic citation and minor marijuana charge from over a decade ago," their statement continued. "He had spent his life exploring world religions, wrapping his arms around his family, and telling jokes that made both Colfax comedy clubs and his grandmother laugh." A search of state court records shows Johnson has no violent criminal history. Chamberlain defended the actions of his officer, saying back in May that, "the absence of a weapon does not mean that there is an absence of danger by any stretch of the imagination." Attorneys for Johnson's family, who have represented a number of other families of people killed by police across Colorado, say the Aurora Police Department has "a pattern of unlawful behavior by the APD and its officers." "Yet another unarmed Black man has been condemned to death by the Aurora Police Department. Under the APD's playbook, officers escalate encounters that a reasonable officer would resolve peacefully," they said. "APD officers bait Black citizens standing on the other side of the weapons into making one wrong move. The APD's list of victims is matched only by their list of broken promises. In the wake of Elijah McClain's death, APD entered into a consent decree, promising the community that it would stop robbing families of their children. Recent homicides by APD officers, however, demonstrate that the APD and its officers are turning their backs on that consent decree." Christopher Johnson, Rashaud's father, said his son "is no longer here, although he should be." He said losing a child "puts you in an exclusive club, but one no one should be in." "When I want to text my son jokes that I heard or little nuggets of life, different scenarios and guidance or ask questions, that's no longer there for me," he said. The 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office, which is investigating the shooting and the actions of the officer, said it hasn't yet issued a decision letter on the shooting. It referred additional questions to the Aurora Police Department, which didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about the lawsuit Tuesday morning. The department entered a consent decree with the Colorado Office of Attorney General after the 2019 killing of Elijah McClain, an unarmed Black man, at the hands of Aurora police officers and paramedics. An investigation by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser found "Aurora Police has a pattern and practice of racially biased policing, using excessive force, and failing to record required information when it interacts with the community." The department has also been under scrutiny from the public in the past two years for the police killings of Kilyn Lewis, an unarmed Black man who Aurora SWAT officers were trying to arrest on an outstanding attempted murder warrant, and Jor'dell Richardson, a 14-year-old Black boy who had a BB gun in his waistband when an Aurora officer shot him. Body-worn camera video of the shooting of Johnson can be viewed here. Johnson's family's attorneys are seeking a jury trial, damages, and other relief that a judge sees fit. The full lawsuit can be read here:
CBS News
25-05-2025
- CBS News
Man shot and killed by Aurora police in parking lot near Denver International Airport identified
The man who was shot and killed by an Aurora police officer in a parking lot near Denver International Airport earlier this month was identified by the Adams County Coroner's Office on Sunday. The man was identified by the coroner's office as 32-year-old Rashaud Terrelle Johnson of Aurora. He was shot and killed by an Aurora officer during a confrontation in a parking lot near East 56th Avenue and Himalaya Street on May 12. According to Aurora police officials, an employee of the private parking lot called police just before 3 p.m. to report a man trespassing in the lot and trying to break into cars. The employee said they were concerned for the safety of customers and workers at the lot. Officers arrived over two hours later after an Aurora officer was dispatched to the lot at 5:18 p.m., according to a call log from a department spokesman. Aurora police officers are seen at the scene of a deadly police shooting near East 56th Avenue and Himalaya Street on Monday, May 12, 2025. CBS Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said in a news conference that evening that the officer attempted to speak with Johnson. Chamberlain said Johnson attacked the officer, who's only been identified as a 4-year veteran of the department, who then attempted to shock Johnson with a Taser. Chamberlain said Johnson was on top of the officer, who got free and then shot Johnson. Backup was called and officers attempted to render aid to Johnson at the scene before he was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to Chamberlain. The officer was also taken to the hospital and treated for injuries he sustained during the fight, Chamberlain said. The shooting is now under investigation by a Critical Incident Review Team, which doesn't include any Aurora officers, Chamberlain said. Aurora police have also launched an internal investigation to determine why it took over two hours to dispatch an officer to the scene of the call and why they only sent a single officer.
