Federal lawsuit filed against Miami-Dade police by family of man killed by officers in 2015

Junior Prosper's family says police have withheld information

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A lawsuit filed was filed against the Miami-Dade Police Department on Wednesday regarding the death of Junior Prosper, a taxi driver, who was shot and killed by police in September 2015.

The shooting took place after Prosper crashed his vehicle into a road sign near the I-95 soundbound entrance ramp and Northwest 119 Street.

The police were then called to the scene.

A struggle ensued between an officer and the 31-year-old man, which caused the officer to fire his weapon, police said. 

Detective Daniel Ferrin said in 2015 that  the officer's finger was nearly severed after being bitten by Prosper. He said the 9-year veteran was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center to be treated for his injury.

Prosper's family claims that police haven’t been open about their investigation. 

 "We all know that if some citizen shoots an unarmed man that 99 times out of 100 that incitement and that investigation is finished in a day or two, maybe a week," Michael Oppenheimer, an attorney for the victim’s widow, said. "It has been 16 months and law enforcement and the government is still saying there is an ongoing criminal investigation."

Oppenheimer claimed in a media release that a video showed an officer "firing his weapon at the unarmed victim, who had not posed any threat. The victim can be seen crawling away from the shooter, when the officer delivers the fatal shot."  

The lawsuit claimed that police have withheld information in this case.

"Every day his 4-year-old son asks for him and I don’t know what to tell him," Edeline Prosper said about her late husband. "I have been stressed out."