Daughters file federal lawsuit in death of mother hit, killed by SPD officer

SHREVEPORT, La. – The daughters of a 75-year-old Shreveport woman struck and killed in February by a Shreveport police officer responding to a call while she crossed Greenwood Road have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city.

The complaint was filed last month on behalf of Dawn and Nyota Lair, the surviving daughters of Evelyn Alexander, 75.

The daughters allege constitutional violations, municipal liability and failures in training and supervision by the City of Shreveport. The lawsuit asks the court to ensure all records related to the incident are preserved and seeks the identity of the officer involved.

“The family is seeking three things. They're seeking answers. They still don't know the full facts of what happened. So answers is number one. Two is accountability, and three is justice,” said attorney Ramez Shamieh, adding, “We also, if in fact the city had policies and poor training in place, we want them to change this so this doesn't happen to another family. And third, we want justice. As you know, a 75-year-old woman died, and this could have been prevented."

The City of Shreveport has asked a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing the complaint does not establish that the plaintiffs were deprived of any federally protected constitutional rights.

Attorney Nichole Buckle said in the motion the plaintiffs allege only that a Shreveport police officer was negligent while operating a patrol unit when he hit Alexander.

“There are no allegations anywhere in plaintiffs’ complaint that would demonstrate the deprivation of a federal right,” the motion states.

The motion has been referred to U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark L. Hornsby, who will make a written ruling or recommendation in “due course,” according to a court notice.

Alexander was struck while crossing Greenwood Road outside a marked crosswalk. Bus stops are located on both sides of the roadway, Police Chief Wayne Smith said after the crash.

Shreveport police said in a news release that a city bus had stopped on the north side of Greenwood Road, while Alexander was on the south side of the street and appeared to be crossing toward the bus stop at the time she was hit.

The officer involved was responding to a call for service, police said at the time. The city’s response to the lawsuit said the officer was responding to an armed person call.

The officer was placed on administrative leave.

The lawsuit – filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana – names the City of Shreveport and Officer John Doe as defendants.

Shamieh said SPD acknowledged in public statements that the officer didn’t have the unit’s emergency lights activated. The lawsuit alleges the officer failed to maintain proper lookout, failed to safely operate the patrol vehicle and failed to activate emergency warning equipment as required.

“Obviously the two daughters are still grieving immensely, and so our attention has been trying to provide them with as much counseling as much help. So, our focus has been on just helping them navigate them. What we know is she was a lovely 75-year-old woman, a good human being, and this shouldn't have happened to her,” Shamieh said.