Subject:  $100 mil suit filed by father in son's death |
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Date Posted: 05/23/05 3:38pm
A father's duty
By David Hunt
TRIBUNE-REVIEW - Pittsburgh
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Kermith Sonnier Sr. believes his son is in heaven, but he wants Kermith Jr.'s image to remain on Earth as a reminder of a police chase he thinks was unnecessary and a shooting he considers unjustified.
"I hope no other father or family ever has to go through something like this," Sonnier Sr. said on Wednesday as Route 40 traffic passed a billboard showing his son's picture in memory of his death little more than a year ago. Two of the billboards went up yesterday several miles apart, on display for eastbound drivers using the state highway in the Brownsville area.
On May 5, 2004, Sonnier Jr., 37, bled to death after a bullet hit him near his left shoulder blade, smashing through his rib cage and piercing his lungs.
Alleging Sonnier Jr. was trying to run them down, two police officers fired four shots that day after chasing his truck on foot into a wooded area near the village of Century. Fayette County District Attorney Nancy Vernon said the shots were fired in accordance with police policy, and in September a coroner's jury agreed that no disciplinary action should be taken.
According to police, a multi-department chase through Brownsville borough and township began when Sonnier Jr. drove away from Brownsville officer Autumn Fike. Police say Fike had pulled her cruiser up to Sonnier Jr.'s truck to confront him about being in an area frequently patrolled because of reports of criminal activity. Police further contend that Fike had asked Sonnier Jr. to leave the same area the previous day, and that he did so without incident.
Because his son had obeyed the officer once, Sonnier Sr. contends that Sonnier Jr. left when he saw the cruiser, reasoning that leaving was what he was supposed to do. Police say the truck's registration was expired, giving reason to stop him.
Testimony at the inquest suggested that Redstone Township Capt. H. Dennis Field fired three times, including the fatal shot, as Sonnier Jr. aimed his truck at the officers in the woods, trying to escape. Fike's weapon appeared to have gone off once accidentally.
Sonnier Sr. contends there's a cover-up. He questions why his son was shot in the back and how numerous cuts and bruises appeared on his body the day he was killed.
In filing a federal lawsuit seeking at least $100 million in damages, Michigan lawyer Geoffrey Fieger said the shooting was "reprehensibly inappropriate."
Named in the suit are Field, Fike, Redstone officer Josh Mrosko, and Centerville officer Mark Costello. Authorities say Mrosko and Costello did not fire. Mrosko, who had been on the job only several weeks, was in a Redstone Township cruiser with Field when they received the call for backup.
To Sonnier Sr., the incident was a twist of fate both tragic and criminal.
"I'm a firm believer that we're born with a date and we leave with a date," he said. "But I still believe he was murdered."
Sonnier Sr. said he hopes the billboard, containing the words "I hope you don't end up like I did," will help build awareness of what he believes was an injustice.
"I'm hoping the sign gives a signal to the families and to make some of these cops stop and look at what they did," he said.
Sonnier Jr. was a native of Louisiana but had been living with family in the Washington County community of Denbo Heights.
He had a troubled past. Sonnier Sr. recalled that, during their last face-to-face conversation, Sonnier Jr. said he was not worthy to live in his father's home.
To guide his son, Sonnier Sr. remembers pointing to the Bible, a book that Sonnier Jr. knew well. His copy is filled with highlighted passages and notes. He took a particular liking to Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Sonnier Sr. said his son had included the passage on every letter he wrote since the 1980s.
Toxicology test results indicate Sonnier Jr. had cocaine and the antidepressant doxepin in his bloodstream at the time of his death.
In 1996, he was arrested and later imprisoned in a marijuana distribution case in Louisiana. Although he also was accused of plotting to kill a sheriff's deputy there, the most serious charges against him were dropped.
Despite any trouble he caused, Sonnier Jr. is missed, especially by his stepmother, Sonnier Sr. said.
"She still asks for him every day," he said.
The billboards on Route 40 are leased to continue showing Sonnier Jr.'s image for the next six months.
David Hunt can be reached at dhunt@tribweb.com or 724-425-2338.
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