This year, like every year, John Crawford Jr. traveled up from Tennessee to the Dayton area to mark the anniversary of his son's death.
John Crawford III was shot and killed by police in the Beavercreek Walmart on Aug. 5, 2014.
His 22-year-old son was holding a BB gun sold inside the Walmart when the two officers came in responding to a 911 call. Officer Sean Williams shot Crawford in a matter of seconds.
"It’s mentally and physically draining. It wears on you." Crawford Jr. said. " It takes —part of your life is gone. You lose part of yourself — a great part of yourself. And you know you’re not going to get that back."
Residents gathered in Beavercreek and Yellow Springs earlier this week to commemorate the tenth anniversary of John Crawford III’s death. Crawford Jr. spoke at both events.
Crawford III’s death came just four days before Ferguson police killed another young Black man, Michael Brown, leading to protests around the country.
About 25 people gathered last night in the Beavercreek Walmart parking lot to hear speeches and poetry, and around 100 gathered later in Yellow Springs at the Foundry Theatre at Antioch College.
Attorney Michael Wright, who represents the Crawfords, said the family sued the city of Beavercreek and the Walmart .
"Walmart started the chain of events; if they had not had this BB gun on the shelf outside of its packaging, then the call by Ron Ritchie to the police wouldn’t have occurred, and John would still be living today," Wright said.
The city settled with the family in 2020 for $1.7 million but admitted no wrongdoing. The Walmart case goes to court early next year.
Meanwhile, activists are pushing to change a street name in Beavercreek near the Walmart to memorialize John Crawford III.
This weekend, Community Voices producer Julio Mateo will present a full hour of material on the death of John Crawford III and its aftermath in the Miami Valley community. The story has continued to unfold since the Black Lives Matter uprisings of 2014 and 2020. Tune in to 91.3 WYSO at 4 p.m. on Saturday Aug. 10 to hear it.
