What if the loss of a loved one was caused by police shooting the person to death because he was holding a toy gun? That was what allegedly happened to an Ohio man after he was shot and killed by police while browsing through the toy section at a Walmart. The family of the 22-year-old man believed this was a wrongful death and have contacted civil rights organizations regarding the fatal incident.
The man's girlfriend was on the phone with him at the time of the shooting, which happened on August 5. She claims she heard police yell at the man to get on the ground even though he told them the gun was not real. She could also hear the man crying and yelling.
Two Beavercreek police officers were involved in the shooting and are now on paid leave while authorities investigate. It is believed that the man's gun was actually not a toy. The gun is allegedly a variable pump air rifle, primarily used to kill small animals. It is highly unlikely that the gun could have killed a human.
If the gun was in fact real, how did the man bring it inside the store? Or did the man find it in the toy department, and he didn't know that it was real? In any case, it did not appear as though the man was trying to hurt anyone with the gun. From the details provided, it appears as though police may have used excessive force in this situation. They were shooting to kill and they may now face the legal ramifications of their actions.
Source: HNGN, "Ohio Man Holding Realistic Gun Killed By Police in Walmart," Ashley Helms, Aug. 8, 2014
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