Via police body-worn camera footage.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a Statement of Interest for a lawsuit in the death of 21-year-old Ryan LeRoux, who was shot and killed by police at a McDonald’s drive-thru in Gaithersburg last year.
The lawsuit was filed against the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) on behalf of LeRoux’s parents by attorneys with Brown Goldstein & Levy, LLP, per a release from the firm last week.
The Disability Rights Section of the DOJ filed the statement. In the filing, the department wrote, “The reasonableness of plaintiffs’ proposed modifications in this case depends on facts that cannot be resolved at the motion-to-dismiss stage on the current record.”
LeRoux was killed on July 16, 2021. Police said they were called to a Gaithersburg McDonald’s for a report that LeRoux was in the drive-thru refusing to pay for his food or leave. Police said a responding officer approached his car and immediately saw a handgun in the passenger seat next to LeRoux. Additional officers arrived and police said a crisis negotiator was called in and was in route. However, use of force resulted in officers shooting LeRoux before the negotiator arrived. His mother, Rhonda LeRoux, previously said it was a mental health crisis situation.
