CLEVELAND (WJW) – The family of fallen Cleveland Police Officer Jamieson Ritter has filed a lawsuit against the city, Police Chief Dorothy Todd, Safety Director Wayne Drummond and other police officials, alleging his death was preventable and resulted from policy failures, inadequate staffing and poor leadership.
The lawsuit was filed just before the two-year anniversary of Ritter’s death. He was fatally shot on July 4, 2024, while officers attempted to arrest Delawnte Hardy, who authorities had identified as armed and dangerous.
Attorney Craig Bashein, who represents Ritter’s family, alleges in the complaint that “Officer Ritter’s murder by Hardy was totally preventable and should have never been allowed to occur.”
The lawsuit claims Ritter and other patrol officers “were required to work in a hazardous, unreasonably unsafe, and dangerous condition.”
According to the complaint, a 911 caller told police Hardy was at an East Side home before officers responded. The lawsuit alleges police supervisors failed to request a SWAT team and that a dispatch supervisor did not issue a “Code Red” alert to command staff, despite department policies.
Investigators have said Hardy fled the home on a bicycle carrying two machetes and a firearm. As officers attempted to stop him, authorities say Hardy shot and killed Ritter.
The lawsuit alleges the failure to request specialized tactical resources violated Cleveland Police policies and procedures.
It also accuses Todd and Drummond of fostering a hostile work environment that contributed to staffing shortages, inadequate training and officer safety concerns, Attorney Craig Bashein writes in the complaint.
According to the complaint, city leaders “intentionally and knowingly” operated a severely understaffed police department and failed to provide officers with adequate training and resources. The lawsuit alleges those conditions prompted hundreds of officers to transfer, retire or leave the department.
The complaint further claims officers believed they could face discipline, financial penalties or missed promotions if they used deadly force, while failing to use force could put their own lives and others at risk.
A city spokesperson issued a statement to the I-Team on Thursday that read:
This cold-blooded murder was a horrific tragedy that has caused unimaginable grief for Officer Ritter’s family, friends, and fellow officers. We continue to empathize with the family, as it’s an absolute shame that 2 years have passed and the criminal case has yet to result in a conviction. We’ll continue to look for additional ways we can honor Jamieson’s legacy and will let our attorneys handle the lawsuit side of things.
The filing also revisits concerns previously raised by Ritter’s parents about how the city handled their son’s death.
In an interview with the FOX 8 I-Team several weeks ago, Ritter’s mother, Karen Ritter, criticized city leaders, saying they had failed to maintain contact with the family.
“You clearly don’t remember my son,” she said. “You never reach out. You never check in.”
She also said she has never personally spoken with Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb.
At the time, Cleveland Police said in a statement that respect for Ritter and his family had guided the division’s actions since his death and that the department had worked to honor his service while supporting the family during its grief.
The lawsuit also alleges Todd violated department policies after Ritter’s death by returning many of the officers involved in the incident to duty within three days despite their emotional condition.
Ritter’s parents previously filed complaints with the city’s Office of Professional Standards regarding the department’s handling of the shooting and its aftermath. The city referred those complaints to an outside law firm, and no findings have been publicly released.
The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages.
Meanwhile, Hardy’s criminal case remains on hold after a court found him incompetent to stand trial. He remains at a mental health treatment facility while prosecutors seek to have him restored to competency.
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