This article was produced in partnership with Spotlight PAa collaborative newsroom producing investigative journalism for Pennsylvania.
HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania – The parents of a Chinese-American teenager shot dead by Pennsylvania state police in 2020 filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday accusing state soldiers and the local attorney general of trying to “thwart public scrutiny” by making misleading statements and refusing a full release. Accident video.
A state police video released in November by Spotlight PA and NBC News shows that the teen, Christian Hall, was carrying a cartridge pistol with his hands in the air above his head when soldiers shot him.
suit Soldiers say they used excessive force, killing Hall while trying to surrender and after saying they would not shoot him. Devon Jacob and Ben Crump, a lawyer for the Hall family, allege that the Monroe County District Attorney and his deputy misled the public by showing a redacted version of the video.
The suit, filed in federal court in Harrisburg, lists as defendants State Police Chief Robert Ivanchik and four soldiers — two unnamed “John Doe,” Charles S. Phelps and Ian de Macmillan. State police officials, including Ivanchik, declined to comment, citing the pending lawsuit. Phelps and Macmillan could not be reached for comment.
Other defendants include Monroe County, E. County District Attorney David Christine Jr. and Assistant District Attorney Michael Mancuso. They released a statement defending their handling of the case and saying that their actions were “in line with the DA’s responsibility to keep the public informed and to reassure that this tragic incident was not due to the undue use of lethal force by law enforcement.”
“The attorneys’ attempts to mislead the public and now file a frivolous lawsuit against the DA are yet another example that they are motivated not by the pursuit of justice but by the allure of monetary gain,” Mancuso wrote in the statement.
“What happened to Christian and his parents is inexcusable,” Jacob and Crump said in a press release. The two also represented the family of George Floyd, whose killing in May 2020 sparked a national protest. “Just like the unlawful killing of George Floyd, the soldiers involved who committed this unlawful killing took time to deliberate before deciding to end Christian Hall’s life. We got justice for George Floyd and we will do justice to Christian Hall.”
On the afternoon of December 30, 2020, Hall called 911 about a “possible suicide” on an overpass of Interstate 80 in the Poconos. Gareth Hall, Christian’s father, said Hall, 19, was upset about his breakup with his ex-girlfriend. Christian Hall posted a photo on Snapchat of the flyover with the text “Who will miss me,” according to A report from the DA . office.
When State Police soldiers arrived a short time later, they found a hole on the concrete edge of the flyover looking down. In his hand was a pellet pistol that the soldiers believed was a real weapon. State police video shows soldiers talking to Hall, trying to get him to put down the gun and walk towards them.
About 90 minutes later, Hall moved toward the soldiers, pellet gun in hand and arms at his sides. Crowded behind their cars about 70 feet away, the soldiers again asked him to drop the rifle.
Video obtained by Spotlight PA and NBC News from Jacob and Crump shows Hall raising his hands after a soldier fired the initial shots that missed him. The video shows Hall raised his hands first to his sides, then above his head, holding the gun in his hand.
A voice can be heard saying in the video: “If he doesn’t drop it, just take it.”
Hall’s hands remained above his head as one corporal fired and another soldier fired several more shots. Hall was hit and hit his stomach and fell to the ground.
In the lawsuit, Hall’s family alleged that the initial state police press release about the shooting, which stated that Hall had pointed the gun at soldiers before the shooting, was intentionally misleading. He states that the soldiers “did this with the intent to thwart public oversight” and pressure Hall’s parents, V and Gareth, not to sue.
In Pennsylvania, local prosecutors are investigating police shootings unless they step down and send the case to the state attorney general. In this case, Kristen and Mancuso investigated the murder with the state police.
Gareth and Vy Hall publicly called on Kristen to send the case to the attorney general and later criticized him for not doing so. The lawsuit alleges that Kristen and Mancuso retaliated against the Hall family by not answering questions or explaining their decisions.
The family’s attorneys, Crump and Jacob, allege that the attorney general’s office used parts of the Video in a presentation It was shown at a press conference in March 2021 in a way that misleads the public.
at this Press ConferenceMancuso announced that no soldiers would be charged for the murder and that Hall was an imminent threat from the moment he got hold of the gun.
“Honestly, it’s testimony to the soldiers that they didn’t shoot sooner,” Mancuso said.
Imitating Hall pulling the rifle by his waistband and raising it in the air, he said that Hall “manipulated it in this way and at one point moved the muzzle in the direction of the soldiers, then lifted it up.”
The suit seeks compensation for violations of the family’s legal rights, Hall’s death, pain and suffering, other damages, and attorney’s fees, but does not specify an amount.
In Hole, she said she is happy to file the lawsuit and that she is still battling the loss of her son.
“I don’t have the strength to read about my son in this way, and how his life was taken that way,” she said of the lawsuit. “I just refuse to watch more videos. … I just refuse to see the last minute.”
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