DC Cops Intimidate Dead Man's Family, Lawsuit Claims: Report

WASHINGTON, DC — A local branch of the American Civil Liberties Union is suing D.C. police, claiming that they attempted to intimidate the family of a man their colleagues killed last year, according to a report.

ThinkProgress — a left-leaning advocacy website — linked to a copy of the complaint filed on Monday by the ACLU that claims intimidation of the family of 22-year-old Jeffery Price, who was killed by a police officer May 4, 2018, after his dirt bike collided with a Metropolitan Police Department cruiser.

MPD has said that Price was at fault, but others say that the squad car blocked Price's path and that he did not pose a threat to the officers.

The complaint alleges that a week after the shooting, two police cars pulled up near the home of Price's mother.

"Officer Joseph Gupton exited his vehicle, entered Ms. Price’s backyard, and searched it. He had no warrant," it states. "When challenged, he articulated no basis for having probable cause and identified no exigent circumstances. Furthermore, he did not respond when Ms. Price and her guests repeatedly told him to leave."

The family claims their rights were violated. They are asking the court to award damages "in an amount appropriate to the evidence adduced at trial."