A man who was shot by a Cedar Rapids police officer last fall is suing the city. Jerime Mitchell has been paralyzed from the neck down since the shooting, which happened during a traffic stop in November.
Mitchell and his wife are suing the city and Officer Lucas J0nes for negligence, “reckless, willful and wanton” actions, assault and battery, infliction of emotional distress and loss of consortium.
The details of the shooting presented in the lawsuit are very different from those made public by county and state authorities late last year.
According to the lawsuit, Jones did not have legitimate reasons to pull Mitchell over or to use what is described as “excessive force.” It states Mitchell was trying to escape from an “unprovoked attack” by Jones.
When a grand jury decided in December to not indict Officer Jones, investigators had not yet obtained a statement from Mitchell. There is dashboard camera footage of the incident, but there is no audio.
Cedar Rapids spokesperson Maria Johnson said it is city policy to refrain from commenting on pending litigation. She said Jones has been on administrative leave since the shooting, and the city has hired legal counsel.
The lawsuit does not specify how much money the plaintiffs are seeking.
