Jury Finds Euclid Police Officer Guilty for the 2017 Murder of Luke Stewart; Family Awarded $4.4 Million in Compensation
Five years after the fatal shooting of Luke Stewart, Euclid Police Officer Matthew Rhodes is found responsible for Luke’s wrongful death and must pay $4.4 million to surviving family.
Background
On Monday, March 13, 2017, Luke Stewart, 23, was shot and killed by Euclid police officers in his own parked car, where he had been sleeping just moments before.
Officer Louis Catalani was dispatched to investigate a “suspicious” vehicle parked on South Lakeshore near East 125th Street just before 7 a.m. He was met by Matthew Rhodes at the scene responding to Catalani’s claim that they needed to “pull this man out of the car.” At this point, Stewart, who was unarmed and not committing any crime, was still asleep.
Police knocked on the window and startled Stewart awake, but did not ask Stewart for ID or other information. They did not identify themselves as police and were wearing dark, plain clothes. Their red and blue car lights were not flashing, they failed to start their dashboard cameras, and their spotlight was turned on and pointed into Stewart’s car.
Rhodes immediately entered the vehicle from the passenger’s window, pulling Stewart’s body out of the car and putting Stewart into a headlock. As they struggled, Rhodes claims that he tried to tase and punch Stewart to stop him, but the car became mobile. While the gear shift was in neutral, and the car was only traveling at “the speed of a golf cart,” Rhodes shot Stewart twice in the chest and once in the neck, killing him. He was not breathing and had no pulse by the time EMS workers arrived.
Approach & Resolution
Rhodes was placed on paid administrative leave after the shooting, but neither of the officers involved were fired or held accountable for murdering Luke Stewart. FG+G filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Luke’s family, but the Sixth Circuit granted Officer Rhodes qualified immunity, holding that no clearly established law forbade his conduct. FG+G attorneys Sarah Gelsomino, Jacqueline Greene, and Terry Gilbert, along with Devi M. Rao and Easha Anand of Roderick & Solange MacArthur Justice Center, countered with a petition for a writ of certiorari so that Rhodes could be held responsible for his reckless and violent behavior.
A county judge ruled that Rhodes would not be protected by immunity. A trial for the wrongful death lawsuit ensued, in which FG+G attorneys Sarah Gelsomino and Marcus Sidoti represented Luke’s mother, Mary Stewart. A jury found Rhodes responsible for reckless behavior and for Luke’s wrongful death. Luke’s family will receive $4.4 million in compensation, although Rhodes will not be criminally indicted. Change must occur within the Euclid Police Department, which has a long-standing reputation for inadequate and dangerous policing.
Additional Press
Jury awards $4.4 million to family of Luke Stewart, who was killed by Euclid police officer in 2017
WKYC | November 1, 2022
Family of Ohio Man Killed by an Officer While Sleeping Awarded $4.4 Million
The Root | November 3, 2022
Family given $4.4M judgment in deadly Euclid officer-involved shooting
Fox 8 | November 1, 2022
