Today marks 10 years since a Beavercreek police officer shot and killed John Crawford III on Aug. 5, 2014, inside the Walmart at Fairfield Crossing.
Crawford, a 22-year-old father of two, was talking on his cell phone when he picked up a pellet rifle sold in the store.
As he wandered the aisles, a shopper named Ronald Ritchie called 911. Within minutes, two officers arrived and Beavercreek Officer Sean Williams took two shots at Crawford in a matter of seconds after seeing him. Crawford was Black and Williams is white.
Several days later, police killed another young, unarmed Black man named Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, leading to a series of uprisings that became known as the Black Lives Matter movement.
No one was charged for Crawford’s death. The city of Beavercreek reached a $1.7 million settlement with Crawford’s family in 2020.
The city admitted no wrongdoing and stated at the time of the settlement, “they remain confident that the actions taken by their police officers that day were appropriate based on the information available at the time.”
Local residents will recognize the 10-year anniversary of John Crawford III’s death with a memorial outside of the Walmart in Beavercreek, and an event at 7 p.m. in Yellow Springs featuring Crawford’s father, John Crawford Jr.
WYSO will air a locally produced hour long audio documentary called "A matter of impact: A look back to the decade since John Crawford was killed" at 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug.10, during our Think Twice program.
