AUSTIN, Texas — On Friday, the growing list of lawsuits against Austin police grew even more with three more added to the list. The plaintiffs are claiming they were unlawfully injured during the 2020 protests against police brutality in Downtown Austin.
One suit claims plaintiff Adam Campbell was participating in the protests on May 30, "doing nothing that could conceivable be perceived as threatening to anyone." Campbell was shot in the hand, causing a traumatic injury and disfigurement.
Another suit claims plaintiff Sage Avvocato, of El Paso, was participating in a protest on May 31, 2020, when an APD officer "inexplicably, unconscionably, and unreasonably shot her in the head" with a less-lethal round fired from a shotgun. The projectile reportedly hit Avvocato in the face, close to the eye, causing her to suffer "significant physical pain, mental anguish, impairment, and disfigurement."
The third lawsuit said plaintiff Ge'Micah Volter-Jones was at a protest on May 30, 2020, when he was hit by a less-lethal round in the forearm. He was hit after he was "overcome with anxiety and fear at witnessing police shooting and injuring" demonstrators, causing him to have a startle reflex and toss an empty water bottle in the air which an officer caught before he was shot.
As of May 27, the City of Austin has approved six settlements involving protestors who sued due to injuries sustained during the protests:
- Tracy Cates - $100,000
- Christen Warkoczewski - $850,000
- Maredith Drake - $850,000
- Brad Levi Ayala - $2.95 million
- Justin Howell - $8 million
- Anthony Evans - $2 million
Meanwhile, a total of 21 police officers have been indicted for their use of force during the protests. The Austin Police Department has since halted the use of bean-bag rounds as a form of crowd control.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: