[chris]

This video shows the moment a man dies and may be disturbing to some viewers. It also contains strong language.

A family planed to file a federal lawsuit Tuesday morning against the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office after deputies shot and killed a man in a middle school pickup line last year.

Richard Ward, 32, was shot three times in the chest during an encounter with deputies on Feb. 22, 2022.

The Tenth Judicial District Attorney’s Office cleared both deputies involved in the call in October, arguing the deputy who fired was justified in his use of force.

[TenochtitlanPrincess]

the distinct lack of compassion

[kellyhound]

McWhorter asked if Ward had any weapons, and Ward said he didn’t think so but that he might have a pocketknife, the bodycam video shows. McWhorter told Ward not to pull the pocketknife out if he did have it. Ward did not have a pocketknife on him, the complaint said.

Ward located a "prescribed anti-anxiety tablet" in his pocket and put it in his mouth, the complaint said. McWhorter "aggressively demanded" to know what Ward had placed in his mouth and "suddenly grabbed" Ward and dragged him from the SUV, the complaint said.

McWhorter and Gonzales threw Ward "violently to the ground, recklessly and deliberately initiating a wholly unnecessary and purposeless physical use of force against and struggle," the complaint said.

"It was a pill. It was a pill. Let me go," Ward can be heard saying in the bodycam video.

Ward did not "meaningfully" resist and offered a "paltry attempt at self-defense" as he was "trapped in the grips of two armed police officers," the complaint said. McWhorter did not issue any warning to Ward that he would use deadly force, the complaint said.

"Within only a few seconds of pulling Richard – who was unarmed – from the car onto the ground underneath the hands-on force being applied by both deputies, Deputy

McWhorter shot Richard three times with his service firearm, point blank, in the chest," the complaint said.

Ward "survived for some time" after McWhorter shot him, "writhing in pain and shock," but neither deputy provided first aid or took a pulse, the complaint said.

"Instead, they stood and watched him bleed out as middle school students strolled by a few feet away," according to a statement from the family's attorneys.

Emergency medical personnel arrived and attempted to render aid to Ward nearly three minutes after the shooting, the complaint said. Ward was pronounced dead at the scene.

The officers then falsely arrested Ward's mother and her boyfriend, seized their property and interrogated them, the complaint said.

Gonzales had an injury to her right knee, and McWhorter had an injury to his nose, finger, lower back, right knee and neck, according to the district attorney's office.

Three days after the incident, Gonzalez told investigators Ward was "putting up a fight," "not complying with verbal orders" and grabbed at McWhorter’s gun belt, according to the district attorney’s office. She said she thought Ward was going to hurt her or McWhorter.

McWhorter, who was interviewed more than a week after the incident, told investigators Ward had reached into his jacket "as if he was carrying a weapon." He said he pulled Ward out of the car "to handcuff him and to check for weapons." In the struggle, he said he felt Ward "messing with his gun side" and was afraid Ward would get his gun, knock him out or paralyze him.

Both deputies told investigators they did not render aid after the shooting because they believed the people in the car posed a threat, according to the district attorney’s office.

Was there an investigation?
The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado State Patrol, Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Pueblo Police Department and 10th Judicial District Attorney’s Office investigated the incident.

District Attorney Jeff Chostner reviewed the findings and determined the deputies' actions were reasonable and "justified" because they believed their lives or the lives of others were in jeopardy.

Pueblo County did not terminate or discipline McWhorter or Gonzales, and the sheriff's office did not offer any additional training, the complaint said. McWhorter was back working within days of the shooting, according to the complaint.

The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office declined to comment on the lawsuit Tuesday. Chostner 's office could not immediately be reached for comment.

What does the family say?
Ward's family says he was unarmed and presented no danger to McWhorter, his partner, or anyone else.

"The killing of an unarmed man, in broad daylight right in front of his mother, is yet another senseless killing by aggressive law enforcement officers poorly trained to handle even the most routine police tasks without resorting to dangerous and even deadly weapons," Killmer said.

Eddy Stamp, Ward's brother, said his family is "devastated" and "will not rest until justice is achieved."

Asked about the deputies' claims that Ward was a danger, family attorney Mari Newman said the deputies were "simply making things up." She added: "The video doesn't show him doing anything except for being yanked out of the car and thrown to the ground."

[houseoftechno]

Originally Posted by TenochtitlanPrincess ↗

the distinct lack of compassion

Disagree. The cops were in defense mode throughout the vid: trying to monitor the scene and assess whether the people hollering and screaming from inside the car were a threat. First aid is step 2. Step 1 is securing the scene.

All the man needed to do was answer questions politely and passively follow commands in case he was arrested. He did absolutely the opposite.

[TenochtitlanPrincess]

Originally Posted by houseoftechno ↗

Disagree. The cops were in defense mode throughout the vid: trying to monitor the scene and assess whether the people hollering and screaming from inside the car were a threat. First aid is step 2. Step 1 is securing the scene.

All the man needed to do was answer questions politely and passively follow commands in case he was arrested. He did absolutely the opposite.

some people have mental health issues, not everyone can simply politely and passively answer questions especially all the time.

it seems like he wasn't all together that day, if he were opening doors and trying to get into the wrong vehicle. maybe he was high, or just discoordinated and sleepy.

whatever the case they say he jumped out of the vehicle, he did not, if they say he was reaching for a gun again he did not, it was a pill, they said what did you just put in your mouth?!,

no justification to pull him out of the vehicle, and he was already traumatized by police by the past hence his statement and if it were actually anti anxiety then the autopsy should attest this.

they escalated the situation by the start with making statements that did not put the victim at ease in any war 'well we don't know who you are' it could have been handled better by a more empathic person such as a woman, and not profiling him based on his appearance, asking him direct accusatory questions "do you have a gun, substances??, etc

Indeed they knew nothing, they did not try to know anything about them at all, a officer could have been speaking to the driver and passenger, they could have sought proof they were here to pick up the mans brother, after all if they had this evidence then what would there be to question beyond the man's mental state.

american police are often ignorant bullies, no different from schoolyard children.

also just the disconnect, acting like he's the bad guy after forcing him out of the vehicle, not letting the passenger (his mum?) see the aftermath force shutting her door (again lack of empathy or ability to deal with consequences of the situation the single-handedly escalated. )

after emptying three shots one officers chuckles, they are so calm in demeanor. an ordinary person would much of the time be on edge about having killed someone, but they are cold, colder than ice.

there's not enough near evidence they were a threat, since when was sitting in a car line evidence of a moving threat, yeah never, what did you think they were there to to do murder children??

first aid took five minutes is should begin immanently as there was no scene even to secure , and preserving life should be done without haste, basic basic human decency to save a dying person's life.,

the people hollering and screaming inside the vehicle hmm maybe because the police just shoved the passenger out the door and shot him to death.

[breezly]

Man, I am generally 110% behind the cops, but not on this one. This guy is certainly a stoned out piece of trash. He didn't deserve to get pulled out and executed and the fact that they brutalized and falsely arrested the other 2 in the car tells me all I need to know.

[Mr.NoCredit]

There are some people that should never be police.

[Trucked up]

Whether he actually was going for the cops gun, there's only 2 people that can answer that & 1 of them is dead.

[Douggie]

You can tell the kid has problems...

[Kenco]

Originally Posted by houseoftechno ↗

Disagree. The cops were in defense mode throughout the vid: trying to monitor the scene and assess whether the people hollering and screaming from inside the car were a threat. First aid is step 2. Step 1 is securing the scene.

All the man needed to do was answer questions politely and passively follow commands in case he was arrested. He did absolutely the opposite.

That's a ridiculous statement. Sure, he should have followed commands better. But he doesn't have to be polite, and he doesn't have to answer any questions per his constitutional rights. What crime did he commit that warranted his initial detainment? And even the resisting after been drug out of the car ISN'T A CAPITAL CRIME! He had no weapon, didn't produce anything which looked like a weapon, nor did officers even make the claim that they thought he did. I support police most of the time. This was completely uncalled for and he should be fired and prosecuted. Since that seems not to be happening, I hope at least the civil suit strips qualified immunity and they own his ass financially. Disgusting lack of professionalism.