Lawsuit: Ohio police shooting of black man wasn’t justified

COLUMBUS (AP) — A lawsuit alleges Ohio police shot and mortally wounded a black man without justification and conspired to provide misleading information about the July 7 confrontation.

Columbus police say two officers spotted 30-year-old Kareem Ali Nadir Jones walking between cars and behaving erratically. Police say they fired when they perceived a threat.

Police body camera video appears to show Jones with his hands up backing away from officers who have guns drawn. Jones appears to reach for a gun in his waistband before he is shot.

The federal lawsuit filed today claims Jones presented no threat. His sister, Marica Phipps, has said she thinks Jones was trying to toss the gun.

The local police union president says officers are trained to draw their firearms when a suspect is armed.