via Flickr
Never forget John Crawford. He was killed in 2014 while holding a pellet gun he found unpackaged on a shelf in an Ohio Walmart when the cops were called on him.
A LIE that he was dangerous ended up costing him his life because 9-1-1 can be weaponized against Black people.
Ronald Rithie called the police. He told them a Black man in the store had a weapon he appeared to be loading and waving at people. Not only did his dishonesty get someone killed, it led to a lawsuit - but Walmart says it’s not their fault. They blame Ronald.
Though the family and their lawyers want Walmart to take responsibility for not having the gun properly stored, Walmart’s lawyers have said “Ronald Ritchie’s lies are the sole reasons why police came,” according to Dayton Daily News. They went on to say, “Ronald Ritchie intentionally lied to the police. Ronald Ritchie was not a good Samaritan who was mistaken.”
It’s hard to have any doubt that Ritchie set the whole thing up, but John’s family still deserves to be compensated. Crawford’s family attorney Michael Wright was reported to have said “Ritchie would not have called 911 had the BB gun been secure in the box.”
We know some things for certain. John Crawford shouldn’t have been killed and this entire situation is a disaster where no one seems to want to take responsibility. We hope the Crawford family isn’t harmed even more than they already have been!