TOLEDO (CN) - An officer in Lima, Ohio, wrongfully shot and killed an unarmed mother of six, injuring the 13-month-old infant she had in her arms, the child's grandmother claims in Federal Court.
Darla Kaye Jennings claims police executed a search warrant at Tarika Wilson's home, where alleged drug dealer Anthony Terry lived. Officers could have left after arresting Terry, the complaint states, but they "chose instead to put all of the children and their mother in harm's way."
Defendant Joseph Chavalia allegedly went upstairs, where he found Wilson and the children, and shot and killed the unarmed mother with the baby in her arms. The baby was seriously injured, the suit claims.
Jennings says Wilson posed no safety risk to the family or any of the officers.
She calls Wilson's shooting "excessive, unreasonable and completely unnecessary."
The lawsuit demands actual and punitive damages. The plaintiff is represented by Alphonse Gerhardstein.
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