Family of man shot, killed by Lansing police files $100M lawsuit
LANSING, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - The family of a man who was shot and killed by Lansing police earlier this month has filed a $100 million lawsuit, according to Fieger Law.
Stephen Romero was shot after Lansing police were called to a domestic dispute on Dec. 1 in the 1600 block of Massachusetts Avenue.
Romero's family is now suing the city of Lansing as well as police officers Donovan Moore and Jeff Kurtz, and a third officer, who was not named, according to court records.
The lawsuit, which was filed on Tuesday, alleges the officers "unlawfully seized" Stephen Romero and used "excessive and unjustified use of deadly force." The lawsuit claims the officers fired 14 rounds, and at least six struck Romero.
"All defendant officers failed to ascertain relevant and knowable facts would have easily been learned had they acted as required by law or otherwise acted as a reasonably prudent police officer," read the lawsuit.
You can view the full lawsuit below:
A week after the shooting, Lansing police released a community briefing that included body cam footage and 911 calls.
Police released three 911 calls, one of which was from Romero's wife, who reported that her husband was drunk and had slapped her.
Another caller reported that a woman was shot. However, a third call, which was identified as Romero's child, reported that their mother was not shot but Romero fired a shot to scare her.
Fieger Law says when officers arrived, Romero complied and got down on his knows, lifting his shirt to show police that he had a gun. The law firm says Romero did not threaten officers and even communicated that he intended to surrender his firearm.
"Mr. Romero was wrongfully killed by a police firing squad, and the Romero family needs answers and justice," James Harrington, vice president and managing partner of Fieger Law, said in a written statement. "Mr. Romero was complying with every single officer command and rather than de-escalating the situation, the officers chose to kill a man in front of his family. The police violence must end."
The Michigan State Police is investigating the incident.
