A jury has awarded $1.5 million to the family of a Black Detroit man killed by two cops on the city’s west side in October 2018.
The jury on Tuesday found that Detroit cops Tyler Nagy and Raul Martinez used excessive force in violation of the Fourth Amendment when they fatally shot Lamont Johnson on the 14000 block of Tireman.
Johnson’s family sued the officers and police department in October 2020, alleging gross negligence, wrongful death, and violations of Johnson’s civil and constitutional rights. Some of those claims were later dismissed.
During the trial, the department’s own police procedures expert said he reviewed video of the shooting and did not see Johnson reach for a gun because the film was too dark.
Police were called to the area at 9 p.m. on Oct. 28, 2018, on a report that Johnson was intoxicated and armed with a handgun. On a dark street, officers found Johnson standing next to his bike, shined a flashlight in his eyes and shouted, “Hands!”
Less than three seconds later, both officers opened fire on Johnson, who had a handgun in his waistband.
Mark E. Boegehold, an attorney for Johnson’s family, argued that Johnson didn’t have time to reach for the gun.
“We alleged that a reasonable police officer would not have shot him because we didn’t see any movement from Lamont, and there wasn’t enough time for him to reach for a gun – 2.5 seconds is not enough time,” Boegehold tells Metro Times. “What they think they saw was not what happened. That’s what we presented to the jury.”
The officers weren’t accused of intentionally executing Johnson.
The cops said they believed Johnson was reaching for the handgun in his waistband and thought their lives were in danger, so they fired.
The officers are still on the force, and the shooting prompted the Detroit Police Officers Association union to award them “District Officers of the Year,” claiming Johnson “removed his .32-caliber pistol from his waistband and started to raise it.”
Nagy was promoted to sergeant in December 2022, and the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners unanimously approved the promotion.
In a statement to Metro Times, DPD defended the officers.
“A comprehensive internal investigation into officers’ actions revealed no policy violations,” DPD said. “Accordingly, the officers continue to work for the DPD. While the Department respects the jurors’ work in this matter, we ultimately disagree with their findings. It is our understanding that the City of Detroit will be appealing this decision.”
