A disturbing video, taken on February 22, 2022, shows a Colorado sheriff's deputy in a confrontation with a man named Richard Ward, who was sitting in the backseat of his mother's parked car at a middle school in Pueblo. Ward expressed anxiety about the police, claiming they have mistreated him in the past. The deputy questions him about why he had been seen earlier trying to enter a car that wasn't his, to which Ward explains that he was at the school with his mother to pick up his little brother. He stepped out of his mother's car to take a brief walk and mistakenly thought another car in the lot belonged to his mother and tried to open the door. He told the deputy that he apologized to the woman in the car, and then found his mother's car. After the deputy asks Ward if he has any weapons, Ward takes out a pocket knife and places it on the car seat. Ward then puts a pill in his mouth. "What did you just stick in your mouth?" shouts the deputy. He grabs Ward, who says, "It was a pill. Let me go!" The deputy pulls Ward out of the car and throws him on the ground. As Ward struggles, the deputy yells, "Stop resisting bro!" before firing three shots into Ward's chest. "What happened?" Ward cries out in fear. He weeps for a few seconds, then stops moving. "Hey did you just shoot him?" says a voice off-camera. The officers stand by and don't attempt to resuscitate Ward. The deputies were later cleared of wrongdoing, but according to the video's description, Ward's mother filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in U.S. Federal Court for the District of Colorado. From the PoliceActivity YouTube channel: Ward was with his mother, Kristy Ward Stamp, and her boyfriend to pick up his younger brother from Liberty Point International Middle School, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for Colorado. Pueblo County sheriff's deputies approached Ward after they received a report that he had been opening doors of nearby vehicles in the pickup waiting area, officials have said. Ward stepped out of his mother's SUV for a "brief walk," mistook another white SUV for hers and got in the wrong vehicle, the lawsuit says. He apologized to the woman who was driving after he realized his mistake and returned to his mother's vehicle, the suit says. Pueblo deputy Charles McWhorter arrived on scene and talked to Ward in the backseat of his mother's SUV. In the body cam video, McWhorter touches Ward's arm and asks him why he's acting strange. Ward responds that cops make him "nervous" and he "has anxiety." Ward explains to the officers that he has had bad encounters with police in Pueblo before. McWhorter then asks for Ward's ID and as he reaches for his identification, Ward slips something in his mouth. His family attorneys said Ward had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and was prescribed medicine for it. In the body cam video, McWhorter then demands to know what it is and drags Ward to the floor. They tussle on the ground for around 20 seconds. During this time, deputies said to stop resisting multiple times. McWhorter then shot Ward 3-times in the chest. Ward was unarmed. The deputies closed the car door and stood with Ward's body for nearly three minutes until medical assistance arrived. He died on scene. The sheriff's deputies involved in the case were cleared of any criminal charges by the district attorney, following an investigation that found the shooting justified. https://boingboing.net/2023/02/23/c...ills-man-who-popped-an-anti-anxiety-pill.html
Pueblo deputy awarded Purple Heart for injuries suffered during shooting of Richard Ward Deputy Charles McWhorter received a Purple Heart award from the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office on Feb. 17 because of injuries he sustained during a Feb. 22, 2022, incident when he shot Richard Ward three times at short range, killing him. Ward was picking his brother up from school at Liberty Point Middle School in Pueblo West. McWhorter received the award just days before Ward’s family filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit against Pueblo County, McWhorter and other involved deputies in U.S. District Court. PCSO Public Information Officer Gayle Perez confirmed to the Chieftain that McWhorter received the Purple Heart award because of his service during the 2022 response. Perez declined an interview request with Sheriff David Lucero about the award, citing the pending litigation. Perez said an internal investigation into McWhorter and Cassandra Gonzales, another deputy at the scene, has been ongoing since Feb. 23, 2022. The 10th Judicial District Critical Incident Team (CIT) investigated the shooting and released a report, signed by District Attorney Jeff Chostner on Oct. 14, 2022, that concluded McWhorter’s use of force was “justified.” “Deputy McWhorter had an injury to his face at the bridge of his nose, his right forefinger, his lower back, his right knee, and he reaggravated a previous injury to the middle of his neck,” the report states. McWhorter was transported to Parkview Hospital after the incident, according to the report. The 2023 Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office awards ceremony was held at Colorado State University Pueblo on Feb. 17, according to a Facebook post. McWhorter was one of two deputies to receive a Purple Heart award. https://news.yahoo.com/pueblo-deputy-awarded-purple-heart-232016028.html
According to the article "“Deputy McWhorter had an injury to his face at the bridge of his nose, his right forefinger, his lower back, his right knee, and he reaggravated a previous injury to the middle of his neck,” the report states." Doesn't sound like it warranted deadly force, also what were the other officers on scene doing? just watching?
