Lawsuit says Cleveland Heights Cops Fired 25 Shots at Christian Thomas while He was Unarmed, Killing Black man During Standoff. No Charges by White Liberal Prosecutors
/An 18-year-old man was unarmed when he was shot to death by Cleveland Heights police officers outside his home, according to a lawsuit.
Attorneys said Christian Thomas, 18, never pointed a gun at officers or his family and had dropped the weapon before officers fired 25 shots, hitting him nine times.
The wrongful death lawsuit was filed Friday in federal court in Cleveland on behalf of Christian Thomas’ father, Ferrel Thomas. It accuses officers of using excessive force.
Officers “shot and killed Christian Thomas while he was unarmed and running and posed no imminent or significant threat of death or serious injury to [officers] or any others,” attorney Stanley Jackson wrote.
The lawsuit names three police officers, but attorneys wrote that they were unsure of the identities of the officers who shot Thomas because their names were redacted on records from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
A Cuyahoga County grand jury in July declined to indict the officers after the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation investigated the shooting.
The shooting happened on Aug. 29, 2024, at Thomas’ father’s house on Yellowstone Road. The father and son had been arguing, and investigators believed that Christian Thomas had taken psilocybin mushrooms before grabbing his father’s handgun.
A standoff began with Christian and Ferrel Thomas inside the house, where the father tried to convince his son to put the gun down. Family members went outside while police officers surrounded the home.
Thomas fired two gunshots while inside the home, including one before he exited, according to the lawsuit. When he finally emerged, he dropped his gun and ran, the lawsuit said.
Three officers fired multiple shots, including two from rifles.
Some officers told investigators they couldn’t see clearly because it was dark and fired after hearing a gunshot, the lawsuit said. [MORE]
