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A $10 million wrongful death lawsuit has been filed in Hampton, VA in the wake of the death of William Cooper, a 69-year-old man who was killed in a police raid in June, 2011.
Cooper was shot dead by police after he fired on Hampton Police Division officers who conducted a drugs raid on his home looking for evidence that he was selling prescription painkillers.
The wrongful death lawsuit was filed in late April 2012 in Hampton Circuit Court. It states that the police affidavit used to justify the search “failed to lay out probable cause for the raid — and failed to adequately indicate why officers believed a confidential informant to be reliable,” the Daily Press reported.
While the search warrant and an affidavit attached to it used in the raid were signed by a magistrate, the affidavit the lawsuit claims it lacked the required signature of the police officer who applied for it.
The lawsuit claims Cooper believed the police officers were criminals entering his home when he opened fire.
“They caused him to fear that a criminal entry was occurring and that his life and property were in danger and caused him to act accordingly,” the suit, filed by attorneys Kevin Shea and Joe Stellute, stated, according to the Daily Press.
As Hampton, VA wrongful death lawyers we are aware the death of a loved one is always a painful experience. When there’s a concern a family member may have been wrongfully killed by those in authority, the pain is exacerbated.
In March 2012, we reported how a wrongful death lawsuit is likely to be brought following the death of a York County, VA woman at Virginia Beach Jail.