BREVARAD COUNTY, Fla. — Civil rights attorney Ben Crump held a news conference in Brevard County on Friday to announce a lawsuit over the deputy-involved shooting that left a 16-year-old and 18-year-old dead.
READ: Deputy who fatally shot 16-year-old, 18-year-old won’t be charged, state attorney says
“We refuse to remain silent,” Crump said.
Crump is representing the families of 16-year-old Angelo Crooms and 18-year-old Sincere Pierce who were shot by Brevard County deputy Jafet Santiago-Miranda last November.
That same day deputies were looking for a similar car that was listed as stolen and fled the scene during an attempted traffic stop.
“My son’s life mattered,” Crooms’ mother Tasha said during the news conference. “… He was a 16 year old who made have made a mistake but still had time to correct it.”
READ: Family of teen shot by Brevard deputy demands release of FDLE report
Crump has previously represented the families of George Floyd and Trayvon Martin.
The state attorney’s report states that “evidence and testimony provided by the FDLE and BCSO investigations, held insufficient evidence for the State to prove at trial that Deputy Santiago was not acting in self-defense, a legal justification for the use of deadly force.”
Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump along with Orlando Atty Natalie Jackson speak on the State Attorneys decision not to charge the officer accused of shooting and killing Teenagers AJ Croons and Sincere Pierce in Cocoa last Nov. #WFTV #PHILARCHER pic.twitter.com/lOawEoTDDJ
— Karen Parks (@KParksWFTV) April 23, 2021
Crump’s lawsuit counters that narrative stating that Pierce and Crooms were shot “without justification” and that pair were “unjustifiably murdered by the very sovereign authority that took an oath to protect them.”
The lawsuit is requesting that the Department of Justice investigate the Brevard County Sheriff’s policies, stating that the department’s use-of-force policies “fall short” of national and comparable governmental agencies.
READ: Justice Department opens civil investigation into Minneapolis Police Department
A spokesperson for the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office said that the agency will not comment on pending litigation...
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