Lawsuit claims Beaumont police covered for violent cop

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The parents of a Vidor man shot by a Beaumont police officer in 2016 have filed a wrongful-death lawsuit accusing the officer of excessive force and the city of condoning a “code of silence” to cover it up.

Chaz York, 23, was fatally shot in the early hours of Oct. 14 in the parking lot of Madison’s, 4020 Dowlen Road. Chase Welch, then an off-duty officer for the Beaumont Police Department, was identified as the shooter. Initial reports said York was involved in an altercation outside the restaurant and that the officer went to defuse the situation and was threatened.

The lawsuit filed last week in federal court in Beaumont paints a much different scenario. In that version, York was “sucker-punched” by another patron and was followed out of the bar by the officer and two Madison’s employees to his car. Along the way, there was a confrontation with an ex-girlfriend and words between York, Welch and the employees.

“Once inside the car, Welch continued to threaten and taunt Chaz,” the lawsuit alleges.

The shooting occurred after York emerged from the car, with the lawsuit claiming that Welch fired eight to 10 shots from a Glock .40-caliber pistol as York ran away. He was struck five times.

Witnesses said Welch ran from the scene afterward, according to the lawsuit.

RELATED: Ex-BPD officer accused of third officer-involved shooting

Welch was eventually cleared by a Jefferson County grand jury, but he later resigned from the police department. The lawsuit says he now works for another jurisdiction. Attempts to reach him Monday were unsuccessful.

Clint Brasher, the lawyer representing the York family, complained that initial reports incorrectly portrayed “a barroom fight that spilled into the parking lot.” He noted that the person accused of initially striking York was later charged with assault.

“Chaz was assaulted inside of Madison’s,” Brasher said. “ … He was assaulted during a night out with friends and was leaving the restaurant and ended up being killed by an off-duty officer.”

The lawsuit also accuses the city of failing to deal with prior examples of excessive force by Welch, citing examples of the officer being disciplined for his conduct. That includes “improper use of force” for ramming his police car into a fleeing suspect’s vehicle and holding another man at gunpoint and threatening to shoot the man’s dog.

On March 5, 2016, seven months before York was killed, Welch fatally shot a man with a scoped rifle who “was allegedly holding a gun to his own head.” In that case, Welch was cleared of wrongdoing, the lawsuit says.

In August 2017, four months after his resignation from Beaumont police and while working for different agency, Welch allegedly shot another man. The FBI and Texas Rangers are investigating, the lawsuit says.

RELATED: Beaumont cop cleared by grand jury in fatal shooting

The York family claims the pattern of behavior shows Beaumont police should held liable.

“By allowing a policy ‘code of silence’ to cover up officers’ use of excessive force, especially Officer Welch, by fabricating accounts to the media and in official reports and internal affairs investigations, the city has exhibited a custom or policy of covering up constitutional violations,” the lawsuit charges. “As part of this official policy or custom, Officer Welch used excessive deadly force with the knowledge that no disciplinary action would be taken against him by the Police Department.”

Beaumont police Chief James Singletary declined to comment on the lawsuit Monday night.

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