Cindy Ledford seeks more than $75,000 from the City of Muldrow accusing the Muldrow police chief, officers, and city officials of failing to care for the safety of Dekota William Lewis.
According to the report filed at the time, on Aug. 6, 2009, Muldrow police officers and the Muldrow town administrator tried for almost 40 minutes to coax Lewis out of injuring himself after he called 911 and told officers of his suicide intentions. Lewis shot himself in the head with a gun he was carrying then was rushed to Sparks Regional Medical Center in Fort Smith, Ark. He was pronounced dead around 1 a.m. Aug. 7 due to the self-inflicted gun shot wound.
“The city officials had an obligation to disarm this young man but failed to do so. The gun was not out, it was in the young man’s pocket. The officers could have disarmed him without risk to themselves,” Trevor J. Furlong with Edwards Law Firm in McAlester said.
Furlong and Mark L. Edwards represents Ledford in the negligence suit. Edwards was unavailable for comment.
According to the suit, Dekota Lewis’ injuries were a direct result of inadequate training of police officers, policies, practices and customs established and maintained by the City of Muldrow.
The suit claims, “The city failed to use ordinary care for the safety of Dekota Lewis because they failed to disarm him and failed to place him in protective custody to prevent him from hurting himself or others after expressing suicidal thoughts. This makes the city liable for negligence.”
“We look forward to getting to the bottom of everything,” Furlong said
Ledford is seeking monies for medical expenses, funeral expenses, and burial expenses in excess of $75,000. She is also seeking damages for loss of consortium because she is deprived of her son’s services, and companionship in excess of $75,000. Ledford is also asking for punitive damages in the amount of $75,000.
