ST. LOUIS — The mother and grandfather of a man who was killed during execution of a search warrant at a home on South Kingshighway Boulevard in June 2017 filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the city of ºüÀêÊÓƵ and the nine police officers involved, alleging police used excessive force when they fired on the man.
Police were executing a search warrant at the home of Dennis Torres at 11:10 a.m. on June 7, 2017, in the 5400 block of South Kingshighway when the incident occurred. Police officials at the time said Torres’ grandson, Isaiah Hammett, 21, fired an AK-47 at officers. Officers returned fire, killing Hammett, officials said. No officers were injured. Fifteen guns were recovered from the residence, which family members have said were legally owned. Marijuana was also recovered from the home, police said.
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The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, challenges the police version of events, alleging that neither of the men in the home had been armed at the time and that police used excessive force when they shot Hammett.
Dennis Torres and Hammett’s mother, Gina Torres, are listed as plaintiffs in the suit. The suit names the city of ºüÀêÊÓƵ, as well as police officers Glennon Frigerio, Lance Coats, Joshua Becherer, Nicholas Manasco, Ronald Allen Jr., John C. Jones, Mark Seper, Jon Long and Tim Boyce as defendants.
Hammett and Dennis Torres were the only two people inside Torres’ home when police broke down the door with a battering ram, the lawsuit says. The lawsuit contends that the police officers immediately set off a flash-bang device, entered the home and then fired their weapons 93 times, striking Hammett 24 times.
According to the lawsuit, both Hammett and Dennis Torres were unarmed. The two men never had time to obey commands, the lawsuit states, and the men had not threatened officers.
“In particular, defendant officers owed (Hammett) the duty to determine that there was an imminent danger of serious physical injury or death to defendant officers or others before using deadly force by firing their weapons into Isaiah Hammett,†the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit also contends that police officials made “false or misleading†statements following the shooting and took steps to cover up the excessive force used. The lawsuit accuses the city of failing to properly “train, supervise or discipline†officers.
The lawsuit seeks damages “in order to punish defendants and to deter them and others similarly situated from like conduct in the future.â€
The investigation has been turned over to the Circuit Attorney’s Office, officials said. Officials with the Circuit Attorney’s Office had not commented as of Wednesday evening.
