Strongsville pay $1 million to family of man shot by police in front of his children.
Background
Strongsville police initiated a traffic stop of Roy Evans, Jr., because the headlights on his van were off. When Evans did not stop, additional Strongsville police and Ohio State Highway patrol officers pursued his van. Eventually Evans came to a stop after the van tires were deflated by a police stop stick and another officer used a police vehicle to ram into Evan's van. Strongsville police supervisor gave orders for all police to maintain cover in their vehicles, however Officer Jason Miller and another officer failed to comply with this order. Instead, they rushed at Evan's van with guns drawn. Evans was in the drivers seat with his hands on the wheel, visible to officers. Miller immediately opened the driver side door and shot Evans repeatedly, killing him. Miller falsely claimed that he saw Evans reach for a gun, however no weapon was ever located inside the van. Evans was not armed at the time he was shot and he did not pose any threat to the officers or anyone else. The shooting was captured on video.
Approach & Resolution
The Estate of Roy Evans, Jr. filed a federal civil rights lawsuit to expose Officer Miller's wrongdoing and seek justice for Evan's death.
In March 2017, Strongsville agreed to resolve the case for $1 million dollars.