Before Walmart shooting, dispatcher said man had ‘bullets’

DAYTON, Ohio – Court filings about the fatal police shooting of a black shopper in an Ohio Walmart indicate a dispatcher told officers the man was loading a weapon with “bullets,” even though a 911 caller hadn’t specified ammunition. The man actually was carrying an air rifle he picked up from a shelf.

The Dayton Daily News reports the dispatcher’s deposition offers the first public record of her perspective on the August 2014 shooting of 22-year-old John Crawford III at the Beavercreek Walmart.

When questioned nearly two years later, the dispatcher said a 911 caller indicated a man was loading a weapon, and she assumed that meant bullets. She said she realized her assumption but didn’t immediately clarify that to police.

Her deposition was included in recent filings in a lawsuit over Crawford’s death.

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Information from: Dayton Daily News, http://www.daytondailynews.com