Legal representatives of the family of Kajieme Powell say they filed a lawsuit seeking financial damages Friday. The 25-year-old was shot and killed by two St. Louis Metropolitan Police officers in August.
The defendants in the suit are the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the two officers involved in the shooting.
Powell was shot outside a convenience store in St. Louis. Authorities say Powell had shoplifted several items from the store. Police responded to a call and the officers fired after Powell refused to drop a knife he was carrying, moving toward the police yelling ‘”Shoot me now. Kill me now.”
Jermaine Wooten is the Powell family’s attorney. He says the family wants answers from the police.
“They haven’t gotten any justice and answers from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. They’ve refused to event sit down and even converse about this case, so the only way this family can get that justice is through some sort of financial judgment against this department.”
The investigation involving Powell’s case is still ongoing. City officials say they have not yet seen the lawsuit and have no record that it’s been filed.
The St. Louis Police Department said they had also not been notified of the lawsuit and it's their policy to not comment on pending litigation.
