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U.S. NEWSFriday 5 January 2018

Ohio officer says felt ‘imminent threat’ in Walmart shooting

This undated photo shows Crawford, right, with his mother, Tressa Sherrod. Beavercreek, Ohio Crawford III. Crawford, 22, Officer Williams and police
police officer Sean Williams, who fatally shot John Crawford III in a Walmart store in Aug. 2014 says was killed Aug. 5, 2014, af- Sgt. David Darkow have
he believed he faced an “imminent threat,” although he acknowledges he never saw the man ter police responded to a said Crawford refused to
point what turned out to be an air rifle or threaten anyone. 911 call about someone respond to commands. The
waving a rifle in a store in Daily News says both of-
(AP Photo/Courtesy family of John Crawford III) Beavercreek, a Dayton ficers said during their civil
suburb. depositions that they didn’t
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — A an “imminent threat,” al- Beavercreek officer police The Dayton Daily News re- realize Crawford was talk-
white Ohio police officer though he acknowledges officer Sean Williams made ports in Thursday editions ing on his cellphone and
who fatally shot a black he never saw the man point his statements during a de- that depositions show po- didn’t know if he heard
man in a Walmart store what turned out to be an position in a federal lawsuit lice relied on the lone 911 their commands.
says he believed he faced air rifle or threaten anyone. filed by the family of John caller, who said a man Williams said he didn’t ob-
had a rifle. The civil case serve anyone running,
is scheduled for trial next screaming or in pain and
month. Crawford’s rela- didn’t hear or smell gunfire.
tives sued Beavercreek po- But he and Darkow both
lice and Arkansas-based said there was a perceived
Walmart, alleging negli- threat. “When I first ob-
gence and civil rights viola- served John Crawford ... he
tions. Police and Walmart had a rifle in hand about to
have denied the allega- raise it up,” Williams said.
tions. “He had it in a low ready
The killing of Crawford is position and he was turn-
among a series of fatal po- ing toward us with the rifle,
lice shootings of black men which, at the very least,
across the United States is an imminent threat to
that have raised attention me, which is why I fired the
during the last four years to rounds.” Crawford family
how police deal with black attorneys Michael Wright
people. and Dennis Mulvihill said the
A special grand jury and officers’ depositions have
then a federal investiga- made it “even more clear
tion concluded without to the Crawford family that
any charges in Crawford’s John never should have
death. been shot and killed.”q

3 cars on Amtrak train with 311 passengers derail, none hurt

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — cars and a baggage car aboard a different train. It was the first snow in Sa- Constitution he boarded
Three cars on an Amtrak derailed. He didn’t say what caused vannah that exceeded an the train early in the day in
train carrying more than “All three cars — a bag- the derailment, and the inch (2.5 centimeters) in 28 Delray Beach, Fla., to head
300 passengers on a route gage car and two sleeper statement also gave no im- years. The fast-intensifying home to Brooklyn, New
from Miami to New York cars — are fully upright,” mediate indication wheth- storm on Thursday had York. He said the train was
derailed in snow-covered Abrams said in an email er the storm that coated moved further up the East en route north amid winter
Savannah after a fierce statement early Thursday to Savannah with a rare snow- Coast. scenes of snow and ice.
winter storm, but no injuries The Associated Press. fall on Wednesday was a News footage from the site Another passenger, Mike
were reported. He said there were 311 pas- factor. showed police and other Zevon, told the newspaper
Amtrak spokesman Jason sengers on board, in addi- The National Weather Ser- emergency vehicles with that it was the last three
Abrams said Silver Meteor tion to crew, but he had no vice said Savannah’s first flashing lights crunching cars that derailed.
train 98 was backing slowly reports of anyone hurt. measurable snowfall since over snow and ice and Abrams’ statement didn’t
into the Savannah station Abrams’ statement said the February 2010 was record- converging near tracks elaborate on how many
about 10 p.m. Wednesday main train was to continue ed Wednesday in the nor- where the derailment oc- cars were in the formation
— hours after the storm its journey north though mally balmy Southern City curred. and conditions with the
clobbered the Southeast some of the sleeping car at 1.2 inches (3 centime- Passenger Joel Potischman weather or the tracks at the
coast — when two sleeper passengers had to be put ters). told The Atlanta Journal- time.q