FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) A nationally known civil rights attorney, noted for his work in cases involving the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery has been retained by the family of Linzell Parhm, who was shot and killed by a Fort Wayne Police officer following a traffic stop on Saturday, June 22.Photo shared with WANE 15 of Linzell Parhm
The hiring of Ben Crump was announced in a press release issued by the office of attorney Stephen M. Wagner of WAGNER REESE, LLP, located in Carmel, Indiana. The news release came out following the release of body cam footage of the shooting.
The press release notes that Crump and Wagner will be investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting with the intention of answering the following questions.
- Why did Officer Mason Wills pull over the vehicle to begin with?
- Why did he immediately escalate—and not de-escalate—the situation with his actions and his words?
- Why did he violate so many standard police practices by failing to maintain a safe distance and barrier after observing a weapon in the car?
- Why didn’t he back away and wait for additional officers who were less than a minute away?
The press release ends by indicating Parhm’s family and their attorneys will not comment further until the investigation is complete.
