City of Stratford facing lawsuit along with 2 officers after man was shot, killed 2 years ago

STRATFORD, Texas (KFDA) - The City of Stratford is now facing a lawsuit along with two police officers after a man was shot and killed two years ago while fleeing from police in a car.

Stratford was notified of the civil suit Thursday in a summon.

In court documents, the parents said on Feb. 21, 2018, two officers with the Stratford Police Department wrongfully shot their son 23-year-old Darion Baker twice in the back, killing him.

Those documents claim Baker and his friend were returning home to Memphis, Tennessee when the officers followed them on US 54 into Stratford for driving suspiciously.

While Baker and his friend stopped to get gas, the officers pulled up behind them, flashed their lights, drew their guns and ran towards the car.

The suit says Baker and his friend got into the car and began to drive away, but as the car pulled away, the officers fired shots at the car with two shots hitting Baker in the back.

No weapons were found in the car and Baker died on scene from his gunshot wounds.

The Bakers filed an amendment to the complaint on Feb. 13, adding the City of Stratford to the suit after the two officers testified during a deposition on Feb. 11.

The amended complaint says during the deposition, one of the officers said he did not have training in regards to using a deadly force against moving vehicles, and both officers said there were other incidents where Stratford police officers had shot at moving cars.

The complaint claims the city failed to train the officers on when they could legally use deadly force to stop fleeing vehicles.

It continues to say that along with there not being training, the city’s “use of policy” does not provide enough instructions for officers to follow.

You can read the full lawsuit below:

Copyright 2020 KFDA. All rights reserved.