Jury awards family of Wichita teen who died in custody $8.3M in excessive force lawsuit
By KAKE Staff
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WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) — A Sedgwick County jury has awarded $8.3 million to the family of a Wichita teenager who died in law enforcement custody in 2021.
A federal jury awarded the family of Cedric Lofton $8.3 million in a lawsuit against five detention center officers involved in the events that led to the 17-year-old’s death.
Lofton suffered a heart attack and died after five officers pinned him facedown on the floor for about 39 minutes.
The $8.3 million was awarded to Lofton’s brother, Marquan Teetz, for pain, suffering, emotional distress, loss of life and lost potential wages.
Teetz and several supporters who attended the trial daily exited the courthouse celebtrating what one called justice finally done.
“I’ve shared more days on this earth with my brother than anyone,” Teetz said outside of the courtroom Wednesday. “I feel like when you see me, you see him, you see him, you see me.
The jury ruled that only three of the officers used excessive force against Lofton that night and that four violated his civil rights. But it said all five failed to intervene to protect Lofton, and awarded his brother damages totaling $8.3 million.
“The facts are the facts,” Teetz said. “Cedric was murdered. Sat on him for 39 minutes. It’s what we all knew.”
The defendants and their attorneys declined to comment on the verdict.
Sedgwick County released a statement saying: Sedgwick County continues to follow its values in integrity and service to the people. We respect the judicial process and are reviewing the verdict, awaiting the finalization of court proceedings and discussing next steps.
The defendants can still appeal Wednesday’s verdict.
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