AVONDALE, Ariz. — The family of a teen fatally shot by an Avondale Police officer plans to file a $25 million lawsuit against the officer, the department and the city, alleging his death was “unjustified.”
The Avondale officer shot and killed 17-year-old Amarion Hope on Feb. 21 while responding to a shoplifting call at a Family Dollar on Dysart Road, just north of Buckeye Road. The officer fired his weapon five times, striking the teen twice as he ran away from the officer after the teen allegedly tried to choke the officer and get his firearm from his holster, police said.
But the notice of claim, which was filed on July 18, the first step in a lawsuit, alleges Hope was not a threat to the officer when he opened fire, rather he was “20 to 25 feet away (and running further away) from [the officer] before the fifth shot killed him.”
The city had 60 days from the date of filing to respond to the claim, but the Hope family’s attorney told 12News “they have not responded.”
The teen’s mother, Keitha Tucker, who is battling stage 2 breast cancer, is now fighting to get justice for her son.
“This has been a very difficult year for me,” Tucker told 12News on Thursday. “It’s hard. I try to stay strong, but I’m fighting two battles at one time.”
What police say happened
The Avondale Police Department responded to the Family Dollar store for a report of a shoplifter, who was believed to have shoplifted from the business twice in the day. Officers located the possible suspect at the Agua Fria River bottom near the area of 10th Street and E Riley Drive, the agency said.
As an officer approached the alleged suspect, later identified as Hope, police reported to have observed a possible sharp tool on his waistband which later turned out to be one of three knives in the teen’s possession, police said.
In the edited body camera video of the incident released by the department, the officer is heard advising the teen to keep his hands where the officer could see them and attempting to detain the teen by placing one handcuff on his left arm. Police said the 17-year-old began resisting arrest and a struggle ensued.
During the scuffle, the officer alleged Hope choked him and tried to get his gun from his holster as he was on the ground with his back touching the floor, police said.
The body camera footage showed the teen start to run away, as the officer fired five shots. Two of them hit him, killing him.
Police said the officer sustained injuries to his left hand and neck and was transported to a nearby hospital to receive treatment for non-life-threatening injuries.
“I don’t feel that my son deserved to die that way,” Tucker said. “He was only 17 years old. He was just a kid, trying to find his way.”
Hope’s mother said he was shot and killed by the Avondale police officer several days after he ran away from his older brother’s home in Indianapolis, Indiana where he was staying. She had reported him missing on Feb. 16.
Disappearance ends in killing
Tucker, who lives in Chicago, found out her son had passed away five months after he died. She had been searching for him all that time.
The Avondale Police Department could not identify the teen after the shooting and released a facial sketch created by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children forensic artist in May.
Tucker said it was that sketch that helped her find her son, after a woman who lived in the apartment complex where her son resided, called her about the image that looked like Hope.
Through dental records, the 17-year-old was identified.
“I miss him so much,” Tucker said. “He has family that misses him, and I just want to get justice.”
Tucker said her son had been suffering from a mental illness. He began showing signs after the Chicago school system shut down during the pandemic. He felt isolated, she said.
His symptoms got worse over time. Doctor and counselor visits didn’t help, Tucker said.
The mother thought he would get better by having him move in with his older brother, whom he was close with, but shortly after he disappeared and somehow ended up in Arizona.
“Justice looks like getting the officer charged with some type of charge and getting him prosecuted,” she said.
A mother’s plea for justice
As Tucker fights for her health and goes through chemotherapy, she’s also fighting for her son.
Hope was one of six siblings. He was the second oldest. He loved video games, basketball and road trips with his family, his mother said.
Hope’s family is suing for $25 million. Attorney Benjamin Taylor is representing them. He said the officer could have used less lethal force “and didn’t have to murder Amarion.”
“An unarmed teenager should never be shot multiple times in the back for a simple misdemeanor,” Taylor told 12News. “Amarion was running away; he was fleeing for his life.”
The Peoria Police Department conducted a criminal investigation into the February shooting. They submitted their findings to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for review in April.
In a statement to 12News Thursday, MCAO said the case remains under review.
At the time of the shooting, the officer who fatally shot the 17-year-old had been with Avondale Police for six years, according to the agency.
The officer remains on administrative leave pending the criminal and internal investigations, the Avondale Police Department said in a statement to 12News, adding “The city understands that the Hope family has experienced a loss. There has been communication between the City and the legal representative of the Hope family.”
The City said they can’t comment further due to possible pending litigation.
“I think the officer could have used a less lethal weapon,” Hope’s mother said. “The officer should not have shot and killed him multiple times over a misdemeanor, a petty theft. It was senseless and he didn’t deserve to die this way.”
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