Crawford family reacts to Walmart shooting grand jury
The family of John Crawford III and attorney Michael Wright met with reporters Thursday, Sept. 25, a day after a Greene County grand jury declined to file criminal charges against two Beavercreek police officers in the fatal August shooting of Crawford at the Beavercreek Walmart. Some notable quotes and updates:
- Crawford Family attorney statements on "no charges"
- "The Walmart surveillance video itself proved the shooting was not justified."
- "This was not Columbine, this was not Sandy Hook. To mention this with those tragedies is insulting to this (Crawford) family. He was not an active shooter. He was a kid shopping in Walmart."
- "They should not have shot this man, there was no justification, there was no threat to the officers or anyone in that store. They need to follow the Constitution."
- Special prosecutor John Piepmeier "presented the case like he was defending the officers rather than prosecuting for this family," referring to yesterday's news conference.
- Crawford's father reacts to "no charges"
- "We are not anti-police, we are just pro-justice. We are seeking justice for my son."
- Justice for his son is, "A conviction for the man who killed my son."
- "My son was murdered, after I saw the video, it is what it is. He was murdered, he had no chance."
- "If special prosecutor said he did nothing wrong, if he did not commit a crime, then why is he not here with us?"
- Father feels there was no evaluation by the officers before they shot and killed his son on site. "Protocol was breached. The officer's impulsivity caused my son not to be here right now."
- What's next?
- More investigation. Crawford family attorneys want to obtain complete investigative file from special prosecutor.
- No civil lawsuit being filed, yet. Family wants prosecution first.
- Awaiting outcome of U.S. Dept. of Justice investigation.
We want to hear from you
Join the social conversation on Twitter, #beavercreekwalmart
