Family of young man shot by Cleveland Heights police calls for transparency as investigation continues

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — A still-grieving family turned to the City Council Monday, Oct. 21, for answers regarding the death of 18-year-old Christian Thomas, who was fatally shot by police outside his home nearly two months ago.

The Board has paused its regular meeting agenda to attempt to address some of these concerns as the Ohio Bureau of Investigation (BCI) continues its independent review of the matter.

“Christian was taken from us on your watch,” his aunt Sara Thomas-Peterson told the council. “Since then, you have been legislating policies and programs here that a permanent resident of your city – a young person – will never see or benefit from. »

Later in the meeting, the council ordered the city’s Law Department to release all remaining body camera footage from police officers who were initially called to the home for a domestic dispute on the night of Aug. 29.

“I said I want you to hold my feet to the fire,” Mayor Kahlil Seren told the family and a council room full of supporters. “I said from the beginning that this was a terrible tragedy.”

“I wish I could have your son back.”

Seren explained that in addition to the BCI’s criminal investigation into any potential wrongdoing by Cleveland Heights police officers, the city has its own ongoing investigations.

One concerns the events leading up to officers arriving on scene outside the Yellowstone Road home. Thomas may have been under the influence of drugs at the time, with city police apparently finding different types inside the home.

There is also a city administrative investigation into the actions of the officers who fired several shots at Thomas — who they say also had a gun on him at one point.

But a large part of this third investigation remains dependent on the results expected from BCI.

To do so, the city “will not be able to interfere with the state investigation” that is still ongoing, Seren said.

Meanwhile, Council President Tony Cuda and Vice President Davida Russell said they first heard a lot of information on Oct. 21 as family members gave their accounts.

Ferrel Thomas, Christian’s father, questioned why footage from his four Ring doorbell cameras wasn’t released after it was seized by police.

The father said the last thing he told police was not to kill his son.

“I play that night over and over in my head,” Ferrel Thomas told the council, adding that in terms of the investigation, “it shouldn’t take two or three months” to complete.

In transferring the remaining police footage from the scene, Seren said he has already authorized the purchase of “new software that will allow us to do this much more quickly.”

“It’s one of my priorities to release this as quickly as legally possible,” Seren added.

Ferrel Thomas also noted that previously released video footage showed his 16-year-old daughter’s face on the news when it should have been redacted.

“You weren’t protecting her,” he said. “You were protecting people on the other side of the gun. »

Genesis Thomas told the council how she called the ambulance after her brother was shot.

“It’s happened too many times to too many children,” she said.

She added that later that night, it was the next-door neighbors who came out and put a sheet over his body that was left in their driveway until 6 a.m. the next day.

“It was really insensitive to let him stay there for hours,” she said.

Stating she remains “overwhelmed with grief and disgust,” Christian’s mother, Tiffany Tyson, told the council she wants “change and transparency.”

Tyson believes proper protocols should have been in place and followed for what amounted to a “mental health crisis”.

She says her son was trying to flee to safety when he was shot.

“What will it take to be transparent and get some accountability? » Tyson said. “It could be anyone’s son.” And if you care about your children, don’t let this happen again. »

Councilman Craig Cobb said he believes this is the only police-involved shooting in his time on the council.

“And I hope it’s the last one,” Cobb said. “I am confident that when the city and BCI have completed their investigations, the city government will demonstrate full transparency, including on the reforms that need to be implemented.”

Thomas-Peterson and others also raised the issue of intervention through the First CALL program (an acronym for “Crisis Intervention and Local Linkage”) which was introduced in Cleveland Heights and four neighboring cities over the ‘summer.

“We still don’t know why there was no Crisis Intervention Team (“CIT”) officer on site,” Thomas-Peterson said of “our most vulnerable citizens.”

She also called for more police training in de-escalation techniques and the creation of a citizen policing oversight committee.

Brenda Bickerstaff, founder of Citizens for a Safer Cleveland, noted that her niece, Ralkina Jones, 37, died after two days in the Cleveland Heights jail in 2015.

“And then you had problems with your software,” she says.

She added that CIT staff should be there “when people are suffering from mental breakdowns – it’s horrible to see Mr. Thomas sitting on this lawn and crying about his son (in a video that was released).” , Bickerstaff said.

After the meeting, Cuda — who, along with Russell, requested previous updates from the administration on the Thomas case — said that “the entire board did not appear to be aware of the information shared by the family. I know I was.

As the investigation continues, “our thoughts are with Christian’s family,” Cuda added.

He also apologized during the meeting for initially trying to stick to the council’s original agenda before changing course “when it became clear that that was not the way to go.” right thing to do,” given the circumstances.

Learn more about the Sun Press.