J. Davis Law Firm, a Covington law firm, held a press conference on Tuesday related to a civil rights lawsuit filed in 2021 involving Anthony Wynn.
Wynn is a Black man who alleges Covington Police Officers Doug Ullrich, John Murphy and Danny Elsbernd and former Covington Police Chief Robert Nader violated his civil rights.
“We would like Doug Ullrich and Officer [John] Murphy removed, considering the allegations that have come against them,” said Jamir Davis, Anthony Wynn’s attorney, at the press conference.
The lawsuit alleges that the officers violated Wynn’s constitutional rights during the course of a traffic stop in 2020. The officers allegedly applied excessive force during the course of the arrest, “violently slamming him to the ground, applying a choke-hold and proceeding to punch him in the face multiple times,” according to a press release from the J. Davis Firm. “Officer Murphy’s violent acts resulted in Mr. Wynn dislocating his shoulder and suffering significant amounts of pain.”
The suit alleges that the actions of the officers reflect a broader trend of excessive force and racial profiling among Covington police. The Davis Firm points to documents and internal investigations uncovered during the discovery process as evidence of ongoing pathological behavior on the part of the officers involved.
“If they don’t get held accountable for what they did, it’s going to happen to more people,” said Cindy Wynn, Anthony Wynn’s mother.
Anthony Wynn did not attend the press conference as he is currently incarcerated in relation to another incident, said Davis.
“It’s not just for Blacks; it’s for all of us. We got to stand up together against hatred towards civilians,” said Ronnie Wynn, Anthony Wynn’s brother.
LINK nky reached out to the City of Covington and current Police Chief Brian Valenti for comment.
“This lawsuit was filed almost 2.5 years ago,” a city statement reads. “We have defended our officers, our police department, and our city every step of the way, and we will continue to do so until it is dismissed.”
LINK nky also reached out for comment to Covington’s Fraternal Order of Police lodge for comment. Ullrich is listed as the vice president of the lodge on the Fraternal Order of Police’s website. They had not responded to our inquiry by the time of this article’s appearance.
This is a developing story, and LINK nky will report more as more information is uncovered. The case is ongoing.