A man Dallas police wrongly identified as a suspect in the July 2016 shooting that left five officers dead is suing the city of Dallas and the police department.
The federal lawsuit filed Monday alleges Mark Hughes and his brother, Cory, were detained without reasonable suspicion or probable cause — and that they were interrogated "without proper Miranda warnings," the Associated Press reports. The brothers were detained following the July 7, 2016, shooting downtown that killed four Dallas police officers and one DART officer.
The real suspect was later identified as army veteran Micah Johnson, who authorities killed using a robot-delivered bomb in a standoff at El Centro College early the next morning.
However, before identifying Johnson, Dallas police on social media posted a photo of Mark Hughes holding his rifle, saying he was a suspect in the shooting and asking for the public’s help in finding him.
Hughes was carrying the rifle during the peaceful rally downtown that preceded the shooting, according to the lawsuit, and had presented the firearm to a nearby officer before joining the protesters.
He turned his rifle over to an officer after the shooting began, according to the lawsuit, but later learned police named him as a suspect and immediately surrendered to officers. Cory Hughes was detained after hearing about his brother's arrest, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit claims the brothers were "wrongfully detained," and there was "significant evidence" they were not involved in the shooting. Both were released after passing forensic testing and denying any involvement, according to the lawsuit.
A Dallas police spokesman told the AP that the city and department do not comment on pending litigation.
Hughes lawsuit by KERANews on Scribd
