ST. LOUIS (AP) — The mother and grandfather of a man killed in a SWAT raid at his home in 2017 are suing the city of St. Louis and nine police officers involved.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the lawsuit, filed Wednesday, accuses police of using excessive force when they fired on 21-year-old Isaiah Hammett. Police have said Hammett first fired at officers with an assault rifle before officers returned fire, killing him. But the lawsuit says neither Hammett nor his grandfather, who was in the home at the time of the raid, were armed.
The lawsuit says police used a battering ram to break down the home’s door on June 7, 2017, and immediately set off a flash-bang device before entering the house firing their guns.
The police department’s Force Investigation Unit launched an investigation shortly after Hammett’s death, but has not disclosed its findings.
The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount in damages.
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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com
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