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Richard Ward: Family of Colorado man fatally shot by cops during school pickup sues for wrongful death

Richard Ward, 32, was shot three times in the chest in a crowded parking lot outside Liberty Point International Middle School

Warning: Graphic content, discretion is advised

PUEBLO COUNTY, COLORADO: The family of a Colorado man who was shot dead by police while he was unarmed has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging improper use of force. On February 23, 2022, 32-year-old Richard Ward was shot in the chest, three times, in a crowded parking lot outside Liberty Point International Middle School.

Ward was with his mother, Kristy Ward Stamp, and her boyfriend at the time of the incident. They were at the scene to pick up his younger brother from the school, says the lawsuit filed in US District Court for Colorado. Officials said Pueblo County sheriff's deputies approached him after receiving reports that he was opening the doors of other cars in the area.

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What happened to Richard Ward?

Before the tragic shooting, Ward reportedly stepped out of his mom's SUV and later mistook another white SUV for hers. According to the lawsuit, he got inside the wrong vehicle. Upon realizing his mistake, he apologized to the woman driving the car and returned to his mother's SUV, according to NBC News. 

According to bodycam footage, Deputy Charles McWhorter later approached the vehicle to talk to Ward, who opens the door and says, "Wow, calling the cops on me? Just looking for my little brother." When McWhorter asks him what his brother's name is, Ward struggles to provide it. His mother intervenes and says he has two brothers. 

The lawsuit says McWhorter put his hand on Ward's elbow and Ward pulls his arm away. "Why are you acting like this?" McWhorter asks. "I'm a little nervous because I don't like cops," Ward replies. He also says that he had previous experience with cops who used force. 

The two discuss the car incident, and McWhorter eventually asks Ward if he is under the influence, but he says no. No weapon was found on Ward. At one point during the conversation, McWhorter asked, "What did you just stick in your mouth?". He then forces Ward out of the vehicle and onto the ground. "It was a pill. Let me go," Ward says. According to the lawsuit, it was a prescribed anti-anxiety medication.

'Shots fired'

Ward and McWhorter began engaging in a scuffle, and three muffled shots are heard shortly after. McWhorter backs away with a firearm in his hand, and a deputy is heard saying, "Shots fired." Ward's mother asks if her son was shot, and her boyfriend asks the officers if someone had called 911. 

Speaking to other law enforcement officers after the shooting, McWhorter says, "So I'm trying to roll to hold my gun down, and he head-butts me in the nose. He says something; I couldn't understand what he said. So I'm trying to pull. I finally get it out and fire two rounds into him and then push it off of him." Ward was pronounced dead at the scene.

'Case of unjustified police brutality'

An investigation carried out by the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office found that the deputies' actions "comported with and were pursuant to Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office training, policies, customs and practices," according to the lawsuit. The Pueblo County District Attorney's Office later said that there was reasonable ground for deputies to believe they were in danger. 

Ward's family is now demanding a jury trial, alleging that his rights were violated under both the federal and the state constitutions through excessive use of force. “We consider this an extraordinarily compelling case of unjustified police brutality, leading to the death of a young man with devastating consequences for his mother and family,” said Darold Killmer, an attorney representing Ward’s family. “The family has asked us to secure justice for Richard, and we intend to do so.”

Killmer added that there was no basis for deputies to believe Ward posed any threat. “We consider this an extraordinarily compelling case of unjustified police brutality, leading to the death of a young man with devastating consequences for his mother and family,” Killmer said.

'Finally Richard Ward might have justice'

Furious social media users reacted to the bodycam footage, with one of them saying, "This is the last part that I will be adding, the cops make zero attempt to do any first aid in the 5 minutes it takes EMTs to respond. They seemed much more concerned with yelling at his mother to keep her door shut after she just witnessed his death." "After yanking this cooperative, unarmed man out of his car and shooting him Pueblo Sheriffs gave an interview falsely claiming that Richard Ward jumped out of the car at them. But the body camera doesn’t lie, even if the sheriffs do," said another. "Here's a case where the sheriff sheriff's deputy and the @PuebloCounty district attorney murdered a guy in front of a school and they got away with it! @PuebloCountySO #RichardWard He was white unarmed not a threat. So. The whole damn County needs to be arrested. Jesus Christ!…" a user wrote.

"It doesn’t matter why Richard Ward put a pill in his mouth. It doesn’t matter if it was anxiety medication or a painkiller. It doesn’t matter if he had a prescription or not. NOBODY should be murdered for putting ANYTHING in their mouth," one user said. Another wrote, "Finally #RichardWard might have justice! He was murdered by police in the middle school parking lot here in D3. Unarmed. He was there with his mother to pick up his special needs brother. Instead he got shot 3 times in the chest and left to die, with zero medical intervention." "WTAF!? There was no need to shoot Richard Ward. There was no reason to pull him out of the car because taking your medication is not against the law. There was a desperate need to perform life saving emergency services. For everything they did wrong what they didn't do was worse," said a user.

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