The attorney for the family of Stephen Perkins has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of the Perkins family and has named the officers involved in the shooting, something the City of Decatur has not done as of yet.
The lawsuit filed in the Northern District of Alabama is against the City of Decatur, the four officers involved, Pentagon Federal Credit Union, All Star Recovery LLC and two men identified as Credit union or towing company agents.
The lawsuit names the four police officers as Bailey Marquette, Christopher Mukkadam, Joey Williams and Vance Summers. It also alleges civil rights violations by these officers.
The lawsuit claims the City of Decatur violated Perkins' civil rights, arguing Decatur has a policy and practice of rewarding officers who "engaged in more invasive citizen interactions" with better pay, promotions and assignments.
The suit argues that the tow truck driver, identified as Caleb Combs, should have known he lacked legal authority to repossess Perkins' truck. It contends after Perkins objected to Combs attempting to repossess the truck, Combs left.
SEE ALSO: Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling terminates three officers and suspends one
The family attorney, Lee Merritt, said they did not name a specific amount for the suit but that the requirement is a minimum of $75,000 to enter the procedure, and he feels this case is well in excess of $75,000.
Merritt said, "We do intend to pursue an outcome that will be crippling for the city of Decatur."
"What I mean by that is, we want to go after what we call extraordinary relief, injunctive relief, where the court will come in and say there are certain policies and procedures that occur here in the city that will not be allowed to continue," he added.
Merritt acknowledged that this lawsuit will play second fiddle to any legal proceedings that may occur. Merritt said he feels confident that legal proceedings against the individuals are forthcoming.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) is investigating the shooting and has refused to comment on the process or status of that investigation. Once the investigation is finalized and turned over to the prosecutor, it will go before a grand jury. Grand Jury proceedings are secret in Alabama, so unless an indictment comes from them, legal charges against any of the officers or others involved might be unknown.
If legal action is taken against any of the individuals named in the suit, the civil lawsuit will be stayed until the outcome of the legal case is completed.
The filing of this lawsuit comes just days after Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling fired three officers and suspended one.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email Bradley.Cox@1819news.com.
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