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Group files complaint against Lexington officers over autistic teen hit by police car

Lexington Herald-Leader - 5/25/2021

May 25—Several people on Tuesday filed a complaint against two Lexington police officers who responded to a welfare check on an autistic teenager having a mental health crisis. The teen was struck by a police cruiser.

During the March 30 check on Liam Long, officer Caleb Wade pursued Long on foot when Long ran from him.

April Taylor, joined by advocates for LPD Accountability, a local police reform group, submitted a statement to police in which they alleged officer Nicholas Gray violated several police department policies and state law when he responded to the pursuit and struck Long with his cruiser after Long ran into the road. Police later said Gray was unable to avoid the collision.

The accountability group's complaint also alleged that Wade, the officer who first encountered Long, violated department policy because he didn't properly handle a subject who he knew was autistic and "under duress."

Long, then 19, suffered a brain bleed, a fractured nose and shoulder and multiple lacerations that required stitches after being hit by the cruiser, according to the family.

Gigi Gabriel, an activist who got involved with LPD Accountability's protests last year, said she felt the response to Long's case was "criminal."

"It was pretty poorly handled, both by the immediate responding officer, but specifically by the officer that hit Liam," Gabriel said. "... The fact that Liam Long is still here — I mean, it's a blessing."

Taylor said the group's complaint was based on what they observed in the bodycam footage of the incident released by police.

The group previously pushed for the police department to give members access to a Form 111, which is used in the department's formal complaint process. A statement provided by members of the public typically gets transcribed into a Form 111 by police and then signed off on by the complainant. Taylor previously said she didn't trust officers to record her statement properly, and she wanted to fill the Form 111 out herself.

After more than a month of lobbying for access to the form, Taylor and several others decided to provide a statement to police on Tuesday — the anniversary of George Floyd's death..

Taylor said she hoped that by following the department's process for filing the formal complaint despite her concerns, it would "call attention to the fact that not much has changed about those policies when it comes to the complaint process, the disciplinary process and the things that we believe must change for there to be real accountability and transparency."

Changing the complaint process for Lexington police was a recommendation made by Mayor Linda Gorton'sRacial Justice and Equality Commission. One of the 54 commission recommendations calls for an ombudsman or someone outside of the police department to help people file formal complaints.

"We feel like if they can piecemeal-implement recommendations from that subcommittee and choose to add five and six new additional officers, and equip all officers with body cameras, then they can do things that actually move us closer to accountability," Taylor said.

At least six people presented Lt. Matthew Brotherton with a statement alleging the violations, which Brotherton filed into a Form 111. He gave the form back to the group and let them review it for accuracy before they signed it.

Taylor said the process was still too long, even though she was glad the complaints were ultimately filed.

Now that a formal complaint has been filed, the police department will investigate the allegations, Sgt. Donnell Gordon said. That investigation would determine potential punishment if officers were found to have violated department rules.

Brotherton said the Public Integrity Unit would investigate and present the results to Chief Lawrence Weathers within 60 days. Weathers will address it and determine if any discipline against the officers should be taken. Brotherton said the resolution would be open to the public.

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