On the second anniversary of his death, Tyre King’s family has filed suit against the city of Columbus, chief of police Kim Jacobs and Officer Bryan Mason.
Officer Mason shot and killed King in an Olde Towne East alley while investigating a robbery in September 2016.
The complaint, filed in federal court Friday, casts doubt on Mason’s recollection of events. Eyewitnesses claim King never brandished the toy gun he was found with, and an independent autopsy suggests King was shot in the back.
Read: Lawsuit complaint filed by the family of Tyre King
Mason claims after ordering King and a 19-year old he was with to get down, King began to run away. The officer says King then turned back toward him and pulled the gun out. Mason then shot King three times, killing him.
The King family contends Mason demonstrated a pattern of excessive force over his career, and the city of covering such incidents up. A grand jury decided not to indict Mason in May of last year. The wrongful death lawsuit argues the city and police department’s willingness to retain him as an officer constitutes negligence.
Correction: A previous headline incorrectly spelled the name of Tyre King.
