The family of Sherman Butler, a 44-year-old Detroit man, has filed a $150 million federal lawsuit, alleging civil rights violations and critical failures in the response to what their attorneys describe as a mental health crisis. Butler was shot and killed by a court bailiff during an eviction at his Palmer Park apartment on July 12, 2024.
Attorneys representing the family, Maurice Davis and Dionne Webster-Cox, assert that Butler was in a state of crisis when a court bailiff and two Detroit police officers entered his apartment to serve an eviction notice. They contend that responders should have waited for a crisis team that had been summoned and was on its way to the scene.
Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office officials have previously stated that the bailiff acted in self-defense during the incident. However, the family's attorneys dispute this conclusion, arguing that the self-defense determination was made before the investigation was fully completed.
According to attorneys Davis and Webster-Cox, the court bailiff initially called Detroit police to the apartment for assistance. Upon arrival, responding officers requested mental health specialists. Despite this request, the attorneys allege that the bailiff and officers did not wait for the mental health professionals to arrive. Instead, they reportedly forced their way into Butler’s apartment, where they found him sitting on his bed with a box cutter held to his neck. Body camera video, the attorneys say, captured this confrontation. Webster-Cox further alleges that tasers deployed during the incident were not properly calibrated and consequently did not function as intended.
Prosecutors have stated that Butler reportedly said multiple times that he would only leave if officers used their weapons and killed him. Detroit police have also stated that Butler then lunged toward them, which prompted the bailiff to fire his weapon. The attorneys for the family underscore that the mental health professionals were still en route to the Palmer Park apartment when Butler was fatally shot.
Velma Wafer, Butler’s mother, conveyed her profound grief, stating, “I have no words. This is really bother me.” She described her son as creative, a comedian, and someone who loved art. Attorney Maurice Davis highlighted the family’s pain, noting that Ms. Wafer misses her son every day, and while no lawsuit can bring him back, she deserves answers and a full examination in court.
Davis emphasized that an eviction order does not erase an individual’s constitutional rights, nor does a mental health crisis diminish the value of a person’s life. Webster-Cox added that several mistakes occurred that day, and accountability for them is necessary. The federal lawsuit specifically alleges wrongful death, civil rights violations, and disability discrimination in connection with the fatal incident.
