Friday, April 18, 2014

Father of teenage suicide victim files 16-count lawsuit against City of Joplin, Joplin Police

A Joplin man who claims he was falsely arrested and brutalized by Joplin Police officers at the location where his teenage daughter had just committed suicide is suing the City of Joplin, the Joplin Police Department and officers Austin Wolf and Tyler Christensen.

The 16-count lawsuit was filed Thursday in Jasper County Circuit Court, with plaintiffs Kevin Russell, his wife Julissa and son Brant Russell as plaintiffs.

The petition recounts a nightmarish tale of what the Russells claim happened after 16-year-old Brooke Russell shot herself to death.

On March 17, 2013, Brooke Russell left her home indicating she was going for some exercise. When she did not return home timely, her mother, Julissa Russell, went looking for Brooke and found her in a park, the apparent victim of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to her head.


Mrs. Russell, along with her husband, plaintiff Kevin Russell, and their son, Brant Russell, loaded Brooke into their car and left for the hospital.

En route to the hospital, they called 911, and the 911 operator advised them to go to the Joplin Police Department, where there would be an ambulance waiting for them. The ambulance, police, and fire department had all been advised prior to the Russells' arrival that the Russells were en route with the victim of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

When the Russells arrived at the Joplin Police Department, they saw the ambulance and carried Brooke to the back of the ambulance, where they had to wait for the ambulance door to be opened and a gurney to be pulled out and presented to them.

They quickly placed Brooke on the gurney, stepped back and pleaded for the emergency personnel to get Brooke to the hospital for treatment.

Rather than immediately leaving for the hospital, emergency personnel left Brooke unattended on the gurney an began to question the Russells about what happened, becoming confrontational about the Russells' agitation with the delay in getting treatment for Brooke.

As the Russells continued to plead for the EMTs to do their jobs and get Brooke to the hospital, Brooke's body rolled off the gurney and fell to the concrete pavement below. At no time did either Kevin Russell or Brant Russell assault with any first responder, engage in any physical altercation, obstruct the first responders from their doing their jobs, or violate any other laws or ordinances.

The Russells continued to urge the EMTs to provide care for Brooke, and EMT Todd Woods became physically aggressive with Kevin Russell, aggressively approaching Mr. Russell, threatening and yelling at him while Brooke lay on the ground.

At that point, defendants Wolf and Christensen assaulted Brant Russell and Kevin Russell by spraying their faces with mace or pepper spray, physically assaulting them and placing them in handcuffs with no justification.

Defendants Wolf and Christensen then placed Kevin and Brant Russell in a police car, placed them under arrest, and held them in the Joplin Police Station for nearly three hours.

While Kevin and Brant Russell were held in the Joplin Police Station, Brooke Russell died at the hospital.

Defendants made false reports to the prosecutor regarding plaintiffs' conduct and encouraged the prosecutor to pursue criminal charges against plaintiffs, which the prosecutor did. However, after the prosecutor withdrew from the criminal case and was replaced by an independent special prosecutor, the criminal charges against Kevin and Brant Russell were dismissed by the special prosecutor.

A representative of the Joplin Police Department also made an improper and inaccurate report to the United States Military that was falsely derogatory of Brant Russell regarding the events described herein, and directly caused Brant to be discharged from his military service, thus ending his planned and desired military career.

As a direct and proximate result of the actions of officers Wolf and Christensen, and by extension, defendants City of Joplin and Joplin Police Department, Kevin Russell suffered severe physical and emotional injuries as a direct result of the assault and his subsequent improper and unlawful arrest and detention in the police station. He further suffered embarrassment and humiliation as a result of the false allegations leveled at him by defendants. His ability to perform his normal functions as a husband were negatively affected.

As a direct and proximate result of the actions of officers Wolf and Christensen, and by extension, defendants City of Joplin and Joplin Police Department, Brant Russell suffered severe physical and emotional injuries as a direct result of the assault and his subsequent improper and unlawful arrest and detention of the police station. He further suffered embarrassment and humiliation as a result of the false allegations leveled at him by defendants. He further suffered a loss of his career and income with the United States Military as a direct result of the actions of a representative and agent of defendants City of Joplin and Joplin Police Department in falsely reporting allegations of misconduct against him to his superiors with the military.

The counts included in the lawsuit are as follows:

1. Malicious Prosecution and False Arrest- Kevin Russell vs. City of Joplin, Joplin Police Department, Wolf, Christensen

2. Policies, Practices, and Procedures- Kevin Russell vs. City of Joplin, Joplin Police Department

3. Excessive Force- Kevin Russel vs. Wolf, Christensen

4. Negligent Supervision- Kevin Russell vs. City of Joplin, Joplin Police Department

5. Negligent Training- Kevin Russell vs. City of Joplin, Joplin Police Department

6. Negligence- Kevin Russell vs. City of Joplin, Joplin Police Department, Wolf, Christensen

7. Battery- Kevin Russell vs. City of Joplin, Joplin Police Department, Wolf, Christensen

8-14- Same allegations from Brant Russell

15. Tortious Interference with Prospective Business Relationship- Brant Russell vs. City of Joplin, Joplin Police Department

16. Loss of Consortium- Julissa Russell vs. City of Joplin, Joplin Police Department, Wolf, Christensen

The Russell are seeking damages, punitive damages, and costs, and are asking for a jury trial.

They are being represented by attorney Andrew Protzman of the Protzman Law Firm, LLC of Kansas City.
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5:41: Stories from the Joplin Tornado, is available for a reduced price of $15.26 (down from $20) between now and the end of May 2014. The book features first person accounts from the May 22, 2011, event that changed Joplin forever, complete obituaries of those who died, historical documents and speech transcripts, and reporting and essays from authors Randy Turner and John Hacker. Also available for reduced prices between now and the end of May are the follow-up to 5:41, Spirit of Hope: The Year After the Joplin Tornado, which carries the story of the Joplin Tornado through the one-year anniversary and includes more first person accounts of the tornado, and Scars from the Tornado: One Year At Joplin East Middle School, which includes first person accounts of the tornado from East students, as well as stories about their first year in a warehouse school after their building was destroyed in the tornado.


6 comments:

Anonymous said...

They should get everything they are asking for and more! The JPD needs to get their act together and quit with the thug and intimidation game! They are servants to the citizens and should act accordingly! A housecleaning at JPD is also in order! The city and JPD should also have to publicly apologize as well as METS!

Anonymous said...

I have followed this case since the get-go and as I do not know the Russell family, I have decided to side with them concerning this case. That was pathetic how the JPD/EMS handled this. GO RUSSELL'S get 'em !!

My view said...

I go with the Russells on this and I know for a fact that the JPD is corrupt and they are liars and will beat you any chance they get. I live in Joplin and I would never call a cop no matter what the crime was. If I was being robbed or raped I would not call 911 and if I was a witness to a crime I would walk away. I have zero trust for the JPD and I believe everything the Russells say and the JPD and EMTS should be held liable for that young girls death.

My view said...

I agree with the Russells and I think they should sue for every dime the JPD have now or will ever have. The JPD is one of the most corupt departments in the 4 state area and I for one would never trust any officer they are meaner then snakes and will and have beat people for no reason.

David said...

Just a long overdue update, especially for the "brave" troll On April 6, 2015, a $65,000 settlement was made between the family and the city. The US Western District Court of Missouri filed a Case of Dismissal with the family’s attorney and the City of Joplin.

Randy said...

Actually, a part of that update had already been provided. The Turner Report was the first to reveal that the settlement had been reached. I published that information on April 6, 2015, but I never have published the amount, so thank you for the information. https://rturner229.blogspot.com/2015/04/russell-family-city-of-joplin-settle.html