The parents of Antwon Rose II, the 17-year-old killed by an East Pittsburgh police officer on June 19, prompting weeks of protests, filed a federal wrongful death suit against the officer, the borough, its chief of police and its mayor, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Michelle Kenney and Antwon Rose Sr. say in the suit that officer Michael Rosfeld used “excessive and deadly force resulting in the unlawful shooting death of Antwon M. Rose.” The suit charges that Rosfeld pulled over the car in which Rose was a passenger and “without waiting for backup units to arrive…immediately drew his weapon and began to shout menacing and hostile orders at the occupants of the vehicle, including Rose.” The suit says Rosfeld’s tone and demeanor was so aggressive that it caused the occupants of the vehicle to fear for their lives.
The suit said Rose did not threaten Rosfeld “nor did he make any threatening gestures that would have given the appearance that he had a weapon or represented a danger to the public. Rose was not armed.” In addition to wrongful death and excessive force, the suit accuses Rosfeld of assault and battery. It alleges that borough officials “knew or should have known” about Rosfeld’s “pattern of escalating encounters with the public” and history of problems at other departments. The suit accuses the borough of failing to train officers and supervise them properly, among other allegations.