Officer Milton green, who was shot by a colleague in 2017 while off-duty, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on Monday against the city, the police department, and the officer who shot him.
What We Know:
- The 13-page lawsuit lay out Green’s account of the shooting and alleges that the incident was a case of racial profiling, despite his department claiming it as an accident.
- The incident began when officers tried to stop a car that had been reported stolen. Green was outside his home when he heard the commotion then tried to chase the suspects after they shot at the officers and fled on foot. However, Green was immediately told by officer Christopher Tanner to get on the ground. Detective Brett Carlson recognized Green and told the officers not to shoot him. Green tried to give the officers the description of the suspect but officer Tanner shouted “drop your weapon!” then shot Green in the arm.
- In a interview with Post-Dispatch, Green said he believes that if he were a white officer, the department would have handled things differently.
“I wouldn’t have gotten shot,” Green said. “How did he not see my badge in my hand? My gun was pointed down, and the other officers were calm. The detective told them who I was and told them not to shoot.”
- The injury left Green disabled and unable to return to work. The lawsuit also states that Green’s pension has also yet to be processed. “Instead of the city taking care of him, they put him in a situation where he is going to lose his home and not be able to take care of his kids” said Green’s attorney Javad Khazaeli.
- Since the incident, Green has expressed his disappointment in how the department’s handling of the investigation. According to the suit, The department’s Force Investigative Unit investigated, however, the father of Tanner’s police partner is in charge of the review. Green has not been interviewed by the department as part of the investigation.
Greens case is not the first instance of racial divide felt within the department. Earlier, we reported about St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner banning officers from bringing cases to their office after they had been accused of making racist social media posts.
