Kids Say Cop Had No Reason to Kill Dad

(CN) - A Mississippi sheriff's deputy shot and killed a man for no apparent reason while he rode his four-wheeler, the man's children claim in court.

Troy Boyd was riding a four-wheeler in Pike County, Miss., on March 15, 2015, when a woman called 911 to request medical attention because Boyd "was disfigured and bloody," according to court records.

Boyd pulled over near a store while two sheriff's deputies, Terry Beatles and Mike McDonald, passed the store, Boyd's family says.

Once Boyd started driving toward his home, Beatles and McDonald allegedly followed him. Boyd's family claims an eyewitness named Robbie Travis saw Beatles pass Boyd and park on the shoulder of the road before the fatal shooting.

"According to Robbie, Terry immediately pulled out his gun. Then, as soon as Troy passed Terry's patrol car and without reason, Terry fired four shots into Troy's back, killing Troy," the complaint states. "Troy was not committing any crime when the two deputies unreasonably chased him that day. Further, Terry Beatles acted objectively unreasonable when he shot and killed Troy Boyd."

Boyd's children, Zackery and Gauge Boyd, sued Pike County, Beatles, McDonald, and three John Does through their mother, Amy Boyd. Their lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Federal Court.

Boyd did not pose a threat to the deputies when he was shot, according to the lawsuit.

"The individual defendants failed to provide Troy Ray Boyd with adequate medical care as requested by the 911 caller," the complaint states. "Instead, the individual officers, through means intentionally applied, acted objectively unreasonable and with reckless disregard to Troy's federally protected rights, by using excessive and deadly force in shooting Troy Ray Boyd and causing his death."

Boyd's children seek punitive damages. They are represented by Robert Lenoir in Amite, La.

The Pike County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

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