FERGUSON, Mo., May 6 (UPI) — A key witness to the August shooting of Michael Brown by Ferguson, Mo. police has sued the city, the police department and the former officer who fired the fatal shot, Darren Wilson.
Dorian Johnson claims Wilson assaulted him, violating his constitutional rights and intentionally and negligently inflicted emotional pain during the encounter. Former police Chief Thomas Jackson is also named in the lawsuit.
The suit claims Wilson fired his weapon at both men, striking Brown several times. “At no point in time did Officer Wilson order Plaintiff Johnson or Brown to ‘stop’ or ‘freeze,’” the lawsuit states.
“Officer Wilson acted with either deliberate indifference and/or reckles disregard toward Plaintiff’s rights, targeting him without probable cause or any reasonable factual basis to support that Plaintiff had committed any crime or wrong, and using lethal force in an unjustified and unconstitutional manner,” the lawsuit states.
It also alleges constitutional violations, assault and emotional distress, pointing to several finding from the March 4 Justice Department report that blasted the city and its police officers for targeting black residents and routinely violating civil rights.
Johnson claimed Wilson reached out of a police SUV, grabbed Brown by the throat and tried to pull him through the window. The Justice Department in the report concluded Johnson was not credible compared to other witnesses.
The city of Ferguson, which is facing numerous lawsuits from Brown’s shooting, declined to comment.
Johnson is seeking more than $25,000 in damages.
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