It’s been two years since an Oklahoma cop shot Demetrize Carter in the chest during a chaotic situation at a high school football game in which shots were fired during an argument between students, claiming the Black man was holding “something black” in his hand, making the cop fear for his life.
But investigators have refused to release body camera footage that would confirm their allegations — despite Del City police officer Shawn Hogue being cleared of any wrongdoing for shooting Carter.
Now Carter, 45, who survived the shooting, has filed a federal lawsuit against Hogue, claiming he had both hands in the air when he was shot, accusing the cop of having “racial implicit biases, prejudices, and racial discrimination towards African American individuals” – as well as personal animosity against Carter.
“Hogue was familiar with Carter from previous encounters in the City of Del City; Hogue had a negative impression of Carter because of his prior interactions with Carter,” states the claim filed by Billy Clark, an attorney based in Texas.
“Hogue’s use of a deadly force against a non-confrontational, non-threatening individual is excessive in nature and a violation Carter’s rights and protections afforded him pursuant to the 4th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States.”
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Carter was doing nothing more than attending a high school football game between Del City High School and Choctaw High School when a fight broke out in the stands between students, prompting him to try to break up the fight by saying, “Please stop,” the claim states.
Meanwhile, Hogue and another unnamed cop were in full uniform working off-duty at the game, meaning they were hired by Mid-Del Public Schools to provide security.
The claim states the two cops ran around a corner with their guns drawn, coming face-to-face with the Black man who was shot once in the chest despite raising his hands.
“While on the ground, Carter began to bleed profusely through the large hole in his chest caused by Hogue’s gunshot,” the filing says.
“Hogue and officer John Doe disregarded the fact that Carter had just been singled out and shot by Hogue and continued to aimlessly scan the area for threats— all while Carter continued to bleed out from his wounds,” the claim continues.
Clark told local media that Carter would likely never had been shot had he not been Black.
“We are alleging that Del City police officer Shawn Hogue and his partner violated the civil rights of Demetrize by shooting him with no provocation, with no reason other than indifferent tolerance toward African-Americans,” Clark told KFOR-TV.
The Shooting
The shooting took place on a Friday night on Aug. 25, 2023, during the third quarter of the high school football game at Choctaw Yellowjackets Stadium in Choctaw, which is a suburb of Oklahoma City.
A video recorded by a fan in the stands shows spectators and players running toward the exits as the sound of gunshots rings out.
A 16-year-old Black boy named Cordae Carter, not related to Demetrize Carter, was killed in the shooting.
And a 15-year-old Black boy named Davyion Hamilton was arrested a month later, spending four months in jail on murder charges before the charges were dismissed in January 2024 after a witness recanted their statement.
Since then, no arrests have been made.
Cordae Carter’s mother, Janea Wright, has filed her own lawsuit in Oklahoma County court against the Choctaw-Nicoma School District as well as the cities of Choctaw and Del City, accusing the entities of failing to provide adequate security at the game, such as implementing metal detectors at the entrances.
Wright’s lawsuit describes a scenario where Demetrize Carter was shot as he tried to help her son.
She said her son was confronted by three to four male juveniles, and the teens were arguing when one of the teens pulled out a gun and shot her son in the groin.
Her son then ran behind a food vendor trailer and began yelling for help, prompting Demetrize Carter to approach him to render aid.
As Demetrize was approaching Cordae, two (2) DCPD officers arrived at the scene with their guns drawn and began yelling at Demetrize. Demetrize put his hands in the air and informed the officers that he was not involved in the shooting and was simply attempting to help Cordae.
Before Demetrize was able to get to Cordae, one of the DCPD officers, Shawn Hogue (“Officer Hogue”), fired his gun at Demetrize, striking him in the chest.
After shooting Demetrize Officer Hogue and the other DCPD officers did not stop to render aid but continued on their way, ostensibly looking for the shooter(s).
Wright’s lawsuit, which accuses the entities of negligence, remains pending.
Lack of Transparency
From the beginning, police refused to release body camera videos from the shooting, claiming the incident was still under investigation.
However, Hogue was cleared of wrongdoing by an Oklahoma County grand jury in April 2024, which should have closed the case.
But neither the Del City Police Department nor the Oklahoma County district attorney has released the videos, which would probably show us whether Demetrize Carter had his hands in the air or if he had something in his hands resembling a gun.
Hogue’s attorney, Gary James, told News 9 that Demetrize Carter was shot because “he didn’t comply.”
A few months later, after his client was cleared of any wrongdoing, James told local media that the grand jury viewed the video and determined Demetrize Carter probably was holding a gun.
“I believe the video reflects when he falls he throws the gun backward under the Del City police unit,” James told The Oklahoman.
Police have been telling local media that two guns and eight rounds were recovered at the scene, but they have not said where exactly they were found, and they have made no mention of whether Demetrize Carter was holding one of the recovered guns.
James also insisted Hogue did not have a racist bone in his body.
“Anybody who knows Shawn Hogue knows he is not a racist,” the attorney said. “These are fabricated statements made by a plaintiff attorney from another state.”
Clark, the Texas-based attorney representing Demetrize Carter, said the refusal to release the body camera videos displays a lack of transparency.
“The body camera is important for several reasons,” Clark said during a recent press conference.
“Number one, it tells the community that the police officers are being transparent,” Clark said. “They’re letting us know what’s going on with their police. They’re not keeping secrets.”
“When you hide things, the first thing we’re going to think is, ‘okay, why are you hiding this information?’”
But now that he has filed the lawsuit, Clark expects the videos to be released as discovery.
