Family Wants 'Simple Justice' In Shooting That Left Tulsa Man Paralyzed

The family of a Tulsa man shot and left paralyzed by a security guard is speaking out for the first time since the February shooting.

Monday, March 30th 2015, 12:49 pm

By: News On 6

Family Wants 'Simple Justice' In Shooting That Left Tulsa Man Paralyzed

The family of a Tulsa man shot and left paralyzed by a security guard is speaking out for the first time since the February shooting. Monroe Bird III was shot in the neck and is now being treated at Kaiser Rehabilitation Center.

His family says his recovery is grim since the gunshot left him a quadriplegic. But they have great hopes for the future.

They are asking for additional investigation into the case after the Tulsa District Attorney's Office found the shooting justified in a preliminary investigation.

The family doesn't agree with the decision, so they have hired Tulsa attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons as well as national civil rights lawyer Benjamin L. Crump, the attorney known for defending Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown's families.

Monroe Bird III's family says they just want to see justice happen, and so far they say the justice system has failed them.

"I've seen injustices like this in the news and around the country, but I never thought it could happen to my little brother; he just turned 21 in December," said Kiera Bird.

Instead of standing tall at 6'8", "Tre," as his family calls him, is in the hospital paralyzed.

"He just wants to walk again," his sister said. "He told me if he could just move his arms he'd be happy about that."

Bird was shot in the parking lot of the Deerfield Estates Apartments after being spotted in the back seat of a car with a young girl. Initial reports say the security guard, Ricky Stone, asked for Bird's ID.

Stone says Bird refused and claims Bird tried to back over him.

"We are only seeking justice for him - we are only seeking the best for my son," said his father, Monroe Bird II.

The Tulsa District Attorney says preliminary findings show the security guard was justified in the shooting. In an earlier interview, the Assistant DA told News On 6 the security guard's description of what happened matched up with what they found at the scene.

The family says that's not true, and they hired attorneys Solomon-Simmons and Crump to fight the DA's decision.

3/5/2015 Related Story: NAACP Calls For More Investigation Into Shooting Involving Tulsa Security Guard

"We want a fair investigation done," Crump said at a news conference at Greater Grace Temple.

"This family is only asking for simple justice. They aren't asking for anything extraordinary; they aren't asking for anything any other citizen would deserve."

"If the security guard believed there was some illegal activity going on he should have called the police, and we believe if that would have happened, we wouldn't be here today in these tragic set of circumstances," said stepfather Johnny Magness.

"Families shouldn't have to deal with this. Families shouldn't have to go through something like this."

The family says it's hard reliving what happened that day, but they hope by speaking out, they'll reveal what they say is the truth and find justice for Tre. They say the attorneys can prove that their son wasn't backing up towards the security guard when he was shot, due to the nature of the wound.

We spoke to the district attorney today on the phone, and he says based on the information presented to him, the security guard was justified in his actions; however, if new evidence is presented to suggest otherwise he'll take it into consideration.

He says the door to this case isn't completely closed.