Louisiana lawsuit alleges police killed fleeing Black man
FILE - Mona Hardin, background left in green, mother of Ronald Greene, prays outside the gates of the governor's mansion in Baton Rouge, La., on May 27, 2021, while protesting her son's death. Greene died in the custody of Louisiana State Police in 2019. Ron Haley, attorney for the Greene family, foreground, has been hired by the family of Alonzo Bagley, a man fatally shot by police in Shreveport, La., on Feb. 3, 2023. The head of Louisiana State Police is calling for patience as detectives look into the death of Bagley. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)
SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — Family members of Alonzo Bagley, a Black man who was killed as he tried to flee police responding to a disturbance call, have filed a $10 million lawsuit against the officer who shot him.
The federal lawsuit was filed last week in Shreveport by his wife, mother and stepdaughter of Bagley, 43. He was fatally shot on Feb. 3. The lawsuit said he had run from his apartment after refusing to talk to the officers.
State police are investigating and said last week that no weapon was found on or near Bagley. The lawsuit says Bagley was unarmed and had his hands up when Officer Alexander Tyler shot him.
“The lethal force used against Mr. Bagley was unjustified, unreasonable, excessive, and in violation of Mr. Bagley’s rights under the United States Constitution and the laws of the State of Louisiana,” the lawsuit said.
An email to police seeking comment from Tyler or the department did not receive an immediate response. The department has referred all questions to state police.
Authorities said Bagley was killed after two officers responded to a call around 10:50 p.m. on Feb. 3. Col. Lamar Davis, the superintendent of Louisiana State Police, said during a news conference last week that it was a “domestic disturbance” call but no details have been released.
Bagley went through a bedroom onto a balcony, jumped to the ground and ran, Davis said. The officers chased him.
“Upon rounding a corner of the building, Officer Tyler observed Mr. Bagley and fired one shot from his service weapon, which struck Mr. Bagley in the chest,” Davis said. He added that both officers rendered immediate first aid but Bagley was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
Davis said the state police investigation would include interviews of witnesses and reviews of officers’ body camera and car camera video — none of which has yet been made public. The lawsuit says Bagley’s stepdaughter, a plaintiff in the suit, is among the witnesses to the shooting.
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