Man sues police officer who shot him in videotaped incident

PORTSMOUTH, Va. – A black man who was shot in the back while fleeing a burglary scene is suing the white Virginia police officer who shot him in an incident captured on video.

The Virginian-Pilot reports 19-year-old Deontrace Ward on Tuesday sued Portsmouth police Officer Jeremy Durocher, who has been indicted on two felonies related to the 2017 shooting.

Ward’s lawsuit asserts gross negligence and battery, and says Durocher never identified himself as police or ordered him to drop his weapon. Ward, who has pleaded guilty in the burglary, has denied pulling a weapon, although one was found in his pant leg. Ward’s attorney, S.W. Dawson, says Durocher acted as “judge, jury and nearly executioner” and his client wants “personal justice.”

Durocher’s attorney Nicholas Renninger says the lawsuit attempts to “sensationalize this event.”

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Information from: The Virginian-Pilot, http://pilotonline.com