police The Police

McEldrew Young Purtell Merritt has a proven track record of successfully pushing for and securing criminal justice for our clients and against law enforcement officers who violate our clients’ rights. No law firm in the country has led more civil rights investigations that have led to the erroneous charges against our clients being dropped or criminal charges, resignations or terminations of police officers who abuse their power.

Our Criminal Justice Success

• The City of Commerce Police Chief Kerry Crews resigned after unlawfully arresting our client Carmen Ponder while off duty after a traffic incident in which the other driver used racial slurs against her. The charges against Ponder were dropped.
• Police in Plano, Texas, stopped our client Rodney Reese while he was simply walking home from work in the snow and charged him with a misdemeanor. After body camera footage of the incident surfaced, the charges against Reese were dropped and the police department opened an investigation into its practices.
• After officer Roy Olliver fatally shot 15-year-old Jordan Edwards in the back of the head while he was the passenger in a vehicle, Olliver was convicted of first-degree murder, the first such conviction for a police officer in Dallas County in the previous 50 years.
• After officer Ravi Singh fatally shot Margarita Brooks while firing at her dog during a welfare check, Singh resigned and a grand jury indicted him for criminally negligent homicide.
• Officer Carmen DeCruz, who approached Michael Dean’s car with his gun drawn and finger on the trigger before fatally shooting Dean during a traffic stop, was charged with manslaughter.
• Officer Aaron Dean was arrested and charged with murder after he fatally shot Atatiana Jefferson while she was in her own home.
• Officer Shaun David Lucas was charged with murder and is currently in custody after he fatally shot Jonathan Price while Price was heroically attempting to intervene in a domestic violence situation.
• Steven Taylor, who suffered from schizophrenia, was holding a baseball bat inside a Wal-Mart when Officer Jason Fletcher arrived on the scene. Instead of calling for backup or trying to deescalate, Fletcher shot and killed Taylor. Fletcher was subsequently charged with manslaughter.
• After officer Eric DeValkenaere shot and killed Cameron Lamb while Lamb was backing his truck into his own garage, DeValkenaere was indicted by a grand jury on charges of involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action”
• Former police officer and district attorney investigator Gregory McMichael, his son Travis McMichael and their friend, William Bryan have all been charged in connection with the murder of Ahmaud Arbery after they chased Arbery down and Travis McMichael fatally shot him. They have additionally been charged with federal hate crimes.
• Officer Amber Guyger shot and killed Botham Jean while Guyger was off duty and Jean was sitting in his own apartment. Guyger was found guilty of murder and is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence.
• After officer Michael Rosfeld fatally shot 17-year-old Antwon Rose while Rose was unarmed, Rosfeld was fired from his job as a police officer with the University of Pittsburgh.
• Officer John Formisano killed his estranged wife Christine Formisano and severely wounded our client, Timothy Simonson, when he shot them at their home. He was subsequently charged with murder, attempted murder, official misconduct, child endangerment, hindering apprehension and weapons offenses.
• Seven detention officers were terminated when they restrained Marvin Scott III to a bed bed, pepper-sprayed him and covered his face with a spit mask, causing his death.
• The FBI is currently investigating detective Blake Kilpatric, who is currently on administrative leave after he was caught on video beating Charles Toney while Toney was handcuffed.