Mother Of Black Girls Held At Gunpoint By Aurora Police Files Lawsuit

DENVER (AP/CBS4) — Four Black girls who were mistakenly detained by Aurora police at gunpoint over a suspected stolen car filed a civil lawsuit against police and the city of Aurora on Monday. The case was filed in state court which, under a police reform bill passed amid protests over racial injustice, would allow the five officers named in the suit to be held financially liable for any judgement awarded in the case.

One of the girls' mother, the driver of car that turned out not to be stolen, is also a plaintiff in the case.

The incident in August 2020 attracted national attention after a video of the four girls being detained — some in tears — was posted on social media. Brittney Gilliam said that she was going to a nail salon that day with her 6-year-old daughter, 12-year-old sister and 14 and 17-year-old nieces when police drew their weapons on them.

Aurora police apologized after the video taken by a bystander showed the girls in a parking lot with the 17-year-old and a 12-year-old lying on their stomachs with their hands cuffed behind their backs. A 14-year-old girl was lying next to the 6-year-old also on their stomachs next to the car.

The traffic stop occurred in Aurora, where officers are also being investigated following the death of 23-year-old Elijah McClain after he was placed in a chokehold last year.

(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)