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Officer Who Shot John Crawford III Felt An 'Imminent Threat'

WCPO
John Crawford III was shot by Officer Sean Williams inside a Beavercreek Wal-Mart in 2014.

There's new information about the fatal police shooting of John Crawford III, a black man killed by white police officer Sean Williams in a Dayton area Wal-Mart in 2014.In a deposition related to a federal wrongful death lawsuit, Officer Sean Williams says he didn't see Crawford point a gun at anyone at the Wal-Mart store.

The police officer says he shot 22-year-old Crawford because he felt Crawford was "about to" aim a rifle at him and felt an imminent threat. Williams was responding to a 911 call about someone waving a gun in the Wal-Mart store. Police later learned Crawford was carrying an air rifle from a store shelf.

Crawford family attorney Michael Wright says they feel the new information confirms their belief that justice was not served in the case.

"They are upset, and they continue to be upset because this case continues to linger," Wright says. "There's no resolution on the criminal side of this case, there's no resolution on the civil side of this case. So four years later, they still have no justice."

Williams was cleared of wrongdoing by a Greene County grand jury in 2014. Last summer, the Justice Department announced there wasn’t enough evidence to pursue charges of civil rights violations in the case. Williams was returned to full duty shortly afterward.

The wrongful death civil lawsuit filed by the Crawford family is expected to go to trial in the fall.

April Laissle is a graduate of Ohio University and comes to WYSO from WOUB Public Media in Athens, Ohio where she worked as a weekend host and reporter. There, she reported on everything from food insecurity to 4-H chicken competitions. April interned at KQED Public Radio in San Francisco, where she focused on health reporting. She also worked on The Broad Experience, a New-York based podcast about women and workplace issues. In her spare time, April loves traveling, trying new recipes and binge-listening to podcasts. April is a Florida native and has been adjusting to Ohio weather since 2011.