LITTLE ROCK, AR – A federal civil rights lawsuit will be filed on Monday by the family of a teenager shot and killed by a former police officer nearly three years ago.
That’s according to attorneys for the family of Bobby Moore, 15, in a news release issued Friday.
Attorney Michael J. Laux, and Attorney Michael A. Kelly, of Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger, will announce the filing of the lawsuit against former Little Rock police officer, Josh Hastings, former Chief of Police, Stuart Thomas, and the City of Little Rock, for the August 12, 2012 shooting of Moore.
According to the news release, the lawsuit will allege that the shooting was an egregious violation of the teen’s constitutional rights, and also that, prior to the shooting, Chief Thomas and the City were fully aware of Hastings’ propensities and disregard of policy, and yet they concealed this information, and protected Hastings because that is the “custom” at the LRPD, and, moreover, Hastings is the son of a high-ranking LRPD officer, who is a close, long-time friend of Chief Thomas.
The release continues by stating that before Hastings was hired as an officer, the City learned that he had attended a Ku Klux Klan meeting. At that time, an African-American LRPD lieutenant drafted a memo in opposition, calling Hastings’ association with the KKK “an abomination,” and identifying Hastings “an unfavorable candidate and a potential liability” to the LRPD. Nonetheless, Chief Thomas hired Hastings. Through the course of his brief career, Hastings amassed many violations of police policy, and earned many days of suspension. A disproportionately high percentage of individuals upon whom he used force were African-American or non-white. Bobby’s shooting was deemed unjustified. Hastings was terminated in 2012. He should never have been hired.
In addition to excessive force, attorneys say the complaint will allege that a widespread “custom” of tolerating police misconduct and untruthfulness by its officers created a culture in which LRPD officers believed there were no penalties for committing such acts at the expense of Little Rock citizens, particularly, African-American citizens. This custom within the LRPD was a cause of Bobby’s death, the suit will claim.
When the lawsuit is announced in a June 1 news conference, the attorneys will renew their call for an end to internal investigations of police-involved shootings at the LRPD, and compliance with Brady v. Maryland in regard to untruthful officers.
