DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The wife of an Ogden man who
was fatally shot by authorities during a May 2010 standoff has filed a federal
lawsuit against law enforcement agencies, claiming they used excessive force
and were negligent.
Lorna Kimsey said in the lawsuit, filed Wednesday
in U.S. District Court for Southern Iowa, that authorities violated Randall
Kimsey's rights when they entered his home, sparking the fatal shooting.
The Des Moines Register (http://dmreg.co/KTzaR5
) reported that the filing claims officers who were investigating reports of
harassing phone calls to a neighbor went to the Kimsey home and asked to speak
with Randall, who was sleeping. He came to the door allegedly armed with a
handgun, then turned his back to officers and retreated into his house. A
standoff ensued.
Authorities tried for several hours to negotiate
with Kimsey before power was cut to the home and six officers entered, setting
off flash bombs, according to the lawsuit.
Kimsey came out of an upstairs bedroom and was
shot. The lawsuit said Kimsey had 14 bullet wounds and officers left 33 shell
casings at the scene.
Boone County Sheriff Ron Fehr declined to comment,
saying he hadn't yet seen the lawsuit.
Fehr said in 2010 that officers decided to go into
the house based on Kimsey's suicidal past and their inability to reach him by
phone. He had said Kimsey was shot after he fired two rounds from his own
weapon, striking one of the officer's protected helmets.
The lawsuit requests a jury trial and seeks
unspecified monetary compensation
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