A St. Louis jury has awarded $18.7 million to the family of Mansur Ball-Bey, who was fatally shot by police in 2015. His father, Dennis Ball-Bey, emphasized perseverance and justice, stating, “You just can’t give up on what you believe. Stop the police brutality.”
Ball-Bey was killed on August 19, 2015, when St. Louis officers executed a search warrant at a North City home. Police claimed he had a gun, which led them to open fire, but his family strongly disputed that claim. Attorney Javad Khazaeli highlighted a key moment in the trial: “There was a specific question—do you find that Mansur Ball-Bey was holding a gun? And the jury unanimously said no.”
Autopsy results revealed that the 18-year-old was shot in the back. Despite this, the officers involved were never criminally charged. Both were later dismissed from the department for reasons unrelated to the case.
Civil rights attorney Jerryl Christmas reflected on the long legal battle and the family’s suffering. “The first time I met my client, Mansur Ball-Bey, he was at that table at the morgue, and that stuck with me. This family has suffered enough. It’s going on a decade.”
Attorney Jermaine Wooten of Legal Solution Group pointed to systemic issues within the police force. “We had a problem with how police were being trained and all the different coverups and not being held accountable for their actions in St. Louis City.”
Both the St. Louis Police Department and the mayor’s office declined to comment due to ongoing litigation. Meanwhile, one of the officers named in the lawsuit has requested a new trial.
Link: First Alert 4
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