FAIRBORN, Ohio -- Ten people filed affidavits Friday against a man who called 911 about John Crawford III, a southwest Ohio man who police killed at a Dayton-area Wal-Mart store in August 2014.
Bomani Moyenda told the Journal-News that the complaints allege Ronald T. Ritchie "created the incident that resulted in the death of not only John Crawford but another shopper by the name of Angela Williams."
Moyenda said the group also submitted to Fairborn Municipal Court a copy of synched video and audio from the incident in which Ronald Ritchie can be heard claiming Crawford was pointing a gun -- later determined to be an air rifle -- at people, and specifically at two children.
The video, Moyenda said, shows none of that is true.
A surveillance camera image from the store.
"We discovered that there’s a law in Ohio that allows any private citizen to file affidavit of a complaint to the municipal court and have it reviewed by the judge and make a recommendation that charges be brought and arrests be made," Moyenda told the Journal-News.
Crawford, of Fairfield, had picked the air rifle off a shelf inside the Beavercreek Wal-Mart store on Aug. 5, 2014. Officers who responded to the call said they shot him because he ignored commands to drop the rifle when he turned toward them "in an aggressive manner," according to one of the officer's statements.
Crawford died from a shot to the chest, a coroner found.
A Greene County grand jury considered charges of murder, reckless homicide and negligent homicide, but they found the officers were "justified in their actions," special prosecutor Mark Piepmeier said.
Angela Williams was fleeing the store with her daughter after gunshots were fired. The 37-year-old Fairborn woman suffered a medical condition and died that night.
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