DISTRICT COURT, JEFFERSON COUNTY

STATE OF COLORADO
500 Jefferson County Parkway
District Attorney Building
Golden, CO 80401

THE ESTATE OF JOHN HURLEY, by and through personal

representative Kathleen Boleyn; and
KATHLEEN BOLEYN, individually,

Plaintiffs, Case Number:

v.
Div.:

Officer KRAIG BROWNLOW, in his individual capacity;

Courtroom:
Arvada Chief of Police LINK STRATE, in his individual capacity.

Defendants.

Attorneys for the Plaintiffs:

Matthew Cron #45685

Siddhartha H. Rathod, #38883
Omeed Azmoudeh #54099
Crist Whitney #56608
RATHOD | MOHAMEDBHAI, LLC
2701 Lawrence St., Suite 100
Denver, CO 80205
(303) 578-4400
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

COMPLAINT AND JURY DEMAND

Plaintiffs The Estate of John Hurley and Kathleen Boleyn, by and through their counsel,
Matthew Cron, Siddhartha Rathod, Omeed Azmoudeh, and Crist Whitney of RATHOD |
MOHAMEDBHAI LLC, allege as follows:

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 Introduction

On June 21, 2021, John “Johnny” Hurley was shopping inside of a store in Olde Town
Arvada when he heard gunshots ring out. Instead of worrying about self-preservation, Mr.
Hurley sprang into action—he drew a concealed carry pistol, ran toward the active shooter, and
stopped the threat. Mr. Hurley’s heroism saved countless lives that day, but it cost him his own.

Three Arvada Police Department (“APD”) officers were inside a police administrative
office also in Olde Town Arvada when they too heard gunshots. Looking out the window of the
front door, the APD officers observed and identified Ronald Troyke as the active shooter. Mr.
Troyke, a heavy-set man, carried a long gun and wore a black short-sleeve shirt, a wide-brimmed
hat, shorts, black boots, and white calf-high socks. Unlike Mr. Hurley, the three APD officers
did not spring into action. Rather, they cowered inside, choosing self-preservation over defense
of the civilian population.

After Mr. Hurley shot Mr. Troyke, he picked up the assault rifle and began removing the
magazine to make the weapon safe. A civilian witness, Mark Wise, observed Mr. Hurley shoot
Mr. Troyke, pick up the assault rifle, and “tak[e] the mag out” of the rifle. The threat, it seemed,
was over.

But little did Mr. Hurley know, the APD officers were still watching from inside the
administrative office. The APD officers had not seen Mr. Hurley shoot Mr. Troyke, and
observed Mr. Hurley for the first time after he had picked up the assault rifle. APD Officer
Kraig Brownlow later explained that he thought Mr. Hurley might have been the active shooter,
but no reasonable person could mistake the two men because of their very different body types
and clothing:

Mr. Troyke on the left in black shirt; Mr. Hurley on the right in red shirt.

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 For approximately eleven seconds, Officer Brownlow watched Mr. Hurley removing the
magazine of the rifle while he holstered his own concealed carry pistol. Officer Brownlow had
the time and opportunity to carefully assess Mr. Hurley’s actions because Mr. Hurley was
stationary, hunched over, had the rifle pointed down, was not making any verbal threats, and
there were no third persons in the vicinity. Officer Brownlow considered whether to issue any
warning. But instead, finally feeling safe enough to leave his place of hiding, Officer Brownlow
opened the door and fatally shot Mr. Hurley from behind without providing any warning.

Officer Brownlow later explained that he made a deliberate and intentional choice not to
provide Mr. Hurley with warning or command. But he made this deliberate choice despite
knowing that Mr. Hurley was not the active shooter whom Officer Brownlow had earlier
identified. And he made this choice despite the fact that no reasonable officer could have
perceived a threat from Mr. Hurley’s actions. Mr. Hurley’s death was not the result of a
misfortunate split-second judgment call gone wrong, but the result of a deliberate and unlawful
use of deadly force.

Officer Brownlow’s use of deadly force violated Mr. Hurley’s rights under the Colorado
Constitution to be “secure . . . from unreasonable searches and seizures.” Colo. Const. art. II, §
7. Chief Link Strate also bears legal responsibility because he oversees and approves of
Arvada’s unlawful policies and training that led to Officer Brownlow’s unconstitutional conduct.
In addition to the constitutional claims, Officer Brownlow is also liable under state law for
wrongful death.

II. JURISDICTION AND VENUE

1. This lawsuit arises under the Colorado Constitution and laws of the State of
Colorado and is brought pursuant to Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-1-131 and C.R.S. § 13-21-201, et seq.
Jurisdiction is conferred on this Court pursuant to Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-1-124. Jurisdiction
supporting Plaintiff Estate’s claim for attorneys’ fees and costs is conferred by Colo. Rev. Stat. §
13-21-131(3).

2. Venue is proper pursuant to C.R.C.P. 98(c), in that all the events and omissions
alleged herein occurred within the Jefferson County Colorado.

3. The Court has jurisdiction over the claims asserted herein pursuant to Colo. Rev.
Stat. § § 13-1-124, 13-21-131, and other applicable law.

III. PARTIES

4. At all times mentioned herein, the decedent, John Hurley was a resident of and
domiciled in the State of Colorado. Mr. Hurley was an unmarried adult without descendants.

5. At all times relevant to the subject matter of this litigation, Plaintiff Kathleen
Boleyn was and is the personal representative of the Estate of John Hurley.

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 6. Plaintiff Boleyn is Mr. Hurley’s mother. At all times relevant to the subject
matter of this Complaint, Plaintiff Boleyn was a citizen of the United States of America and a
resident of and domiciled in the State of Colorado.

7. At all times relevant to the subject matter of this litigation, Defendant Kraig
Brownlow was a citizen of the United States and resident of Colorado. At all times relevant,
Officer Brownlow was acting under color of state law in his capacity as a law enforcement
officer employed by the APD.

8. At all times relevant to the subject matter of this litigation, Defendant Chief of
Police Link Strate was a citizen of the United States and a resident of and domiciled in the State
of Colorado. At all times relevant, Defendant Chief Strate was acting in his capacity as Chief of
Police employed by the APD and was responsible for the oversight, supervision, discipline, and
training of the officers employed by the APD.

IV. FACTUAL ALLEGATIONS

A. Mr. Hurley’s Life and Loss to His Family

9. John Hurley was born on August 9, 1980.

10. Mr. Hurley grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He graduated from Air
Academy High School and from Cook Street School of Fine Cooking in Denver, Colorado.

11. As a young man, Mr. Hurley had developed a passion for skateboarding, music,
movies, and spending time in the mountains where he loved to fish, hike, and camp. He was
particularly close with his younger sister and involved her in many of his adventures.

12. As Mr. Hurley matured, he grew to be an avid music fan and eventually
performed as a disc-jockey under the stage name of “Johnny Verbal.”

13. Mr. Hurley was particularly fond of music that had a positive, inspiring, or
encouraging message and would often attend events, such as the Community Sharefest, intended
to spread these messages and improve the lives of all members of the community.

14. Mr. Hurley was an accomplished chef who worked at such places as the Rocky
Mountain Commissary, Cavemen Chefs, All Love, and One for One. He specialized in preparing
organic, non-GMO dishes, almost always for people in need.

15. Mr. Hurley believed deeply in helping the less fortunate and spreading good will,
spending time helping the homeless outside of the Denver Mission and participating in the “Love
Police” where he and others offered “Free Hugs and Free Smiles” on the 16th Street Mall. He
worked parttime for American Samaritan furniture, which is a charitable organization that offers
help with donating or acquiring furniture and pianos.

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 16. Throughout his life, Mr. Hurley maintained a close relationship with his
immediate family and enjoyed a wide circle of friends.

17. Mr. Hurley was in Olde Town Arvada on June 21, 2021 because he happened to
be shopping at the Arvada Army Navy Surplus store for camping supplies for an upcoming trip
with his younger sister.

B. Ronald Troyke’s Murderous Mission

18. Ronald Troyke had a seemingly normal childhood in Illinois before moving to
Colorado in the 1980s with his girlfriend for better weather and better outdoor recreation. His
brother soon followed him to Colorado.

19. Mr. Troyke worked various blue-collar jobs and enjoyed outdoor recreation
activities with his brother and girlfriend.

20. By 2015, Mr. Troyke’s girlfriend had left him, his brother had developed MS and
moved back to Illinois, and his father, with whom he had a very close relationship, had passed
away. Mr. Troyke’s employment had become sporadic at best.

21. During this period, Mr. Troyke became concerningly isolated, increasingly
agitated, and depressed.

22. As his mental state deteriorated, Mr. Troyke developed a virulent hatred for the
police.

23. After watching anti-police videos on a consistent basis, Mr. Troyke’s hatred for
the police came to a head on June 7, 2021, when he confronted Officer Brownlow, along with
fellow APD Officers Sterling Boom and Michael Hall, while the three were making an arrest
near the Arvada Library.

24. Mr. Troyke called them “terrible people” and “Sovereign Citizens,” questioned
why they did not wear body cameras, and otherwise groused about how he “lost respect” for the
police.

25. In response, Officer Brownlow began to film Mr. Troyke and explained that the
law permitted the search the arrestee’s vehicle.

26. Following this incident, Mr. Troyke sent text messages indicating that the
encounter had “set [him] on fire.”

27. On June 21, 2021, the isolated and agitated Mr. Troyke decided it was time for
him to take action.

28. To begin the day, Mr. Troyke called his sister and made several statements along
the lines that “he can’t do this no more” and “the police don’t take me seriously.”

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 29. As a result of the conversation, Mr. Troyke’s sister called APD to request a
welfare check, reporting Mr. Troyke’s rising agitation with the police, his severe depression, the
number of firearms he owned, and his alarming statements from that morning.

30. At 12:49 p.m., Officer Gordon Beesley was dispatched to Mr. Troyke’s residence
to complete the welfare check but was unsuccessful in locating him.

31. By that time, Mr. Troyke had already set out to Arvada’s Olde Town Square in
his pickup truck, armed to the teeth and planning to lure police officers into a lethal trap. Mr.
Troyke wore a wide brimmed hat, a black balaclava over his face, a black short-sleeve shirt,
shorts, white socks, and black boots.

32. Attempting to get passersby to contact the police, Mr. Troyke walked in circles
around a fountain in the Square, made “weird noises” while approaching young women, and
showed them a condom.

33. Unfortunately, Mr. Troyke’s deadly plan worked, and someone called the police.
Officer Beesley—the same officer who was dispatched to the welfare check just thirty minutes
prior—was dispatched to the Square on reports of a suspicious person.

34. Shortly after, Officer Beesley walked westbound toward the Square, passing
through a parking lot just north of the Arvada Library.

Mr. Troyke (circled) exits his gray truck and begins following Officer Beesley (squared).
35. Mr. Troyke parked his truck, exited his vehicle with a 12 gauge semi-automatic
shotgun, and headed directly for Officer Beesley.

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 36. Mark Wise, an accountant, had just finished eating lunch with a co-worker and
was walking eastbound in the same parking lot toward his car when he passed Mr. Troyke
“shoulder to shoulder.”

37. Moments later, Mr. Wise heard Mr. Troyke exclaim, “Hey!” to get Officer
Beesley’s attention.

38. As Officer Beesley turned around, Mr. Troyke fired at the defenseless officer,
hitting him twice and killing him.

39. Mr. Troyke thereafter shot a few more rounds from his shotgun at parked police
vehicles to the north, at nearby businesses, and in other unknown directions.

Mr. Troyke raising his weapon toward Officer Beesley

while Mr. Wise (squared) looks on.

40. Following this succession of shots, Mr. Troyke walked briefly to the north then
began walking eastbound back toward his truck.

41. Mr. Troyke put the shotgun into his truck and retrieved an AR-15 assault rifle.
He then walked westbound through the parking lot back toward the Square.

C. Mr. Hurley Stops Mr. Troyke before He Can Take More Life

42. When Mr. Troyke fired his initial volley of shots, Mr. Hurley was shopping for
camping supplies inside the Arvada Army Navy Surplus, just west of the Square across Old
Wadsworth Boulevard.

43. Mr. Hurley immediately reacted to the shots, looked out the store’s front door,
and pointed at Mr. Troyke.

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 44. An Army Navy Surplus employee heard Mr. Hurley say something along the lines
of “he’s over there, the shooter is over there.”

45. Instead of concerning himself with self-preservation, Mr. Hurley hurried out the
store, drew a concealed carry pistol from his waistband, and ran toward the shooter.

46. Pistol drawn, Mr. Hurley quickly walked in a low crouch eastbound toward the
parking lot where he had last seen Mr. Troyke. Once he got about halfway across the Square,
Mr. Hurley started running in order to reach a brick retaining wall adjacent to the parking lot.

47. An off-duty Jefferson County Deputy saw Mr. Hurley move across the Square “in
a shooting stance” and thought he “might have been a task force type guy” given the way he was
moving directly toward the threat.

48. A server at a nearby restaurant saw Mr. Hurley “chasing the shooter” and
assumed he had “some sort of training” because of the way he jumped into action.

49. Once Mr. Hurley found cover behind the retaining wall, he spotted Mr. Wise who
was hiding behind a parked car in the parking lot. Mr. Wise had been using the car as cover ever
since the time he watched Mr. Troyke shoot Officer Beesley.

50. Mr. Wise also saw Mr. Hurley and later reported:

And I see, from [the west], a person in a – not dark but not white, so a colored shirt
of some kind, like, in the red family . . . Running diagonally through that courtyard
area . . . Weapon. H- handgun drawn, lowered, pointed down, in a, not a walk, not
a run, but a crouched, very speedy, very purposeful walk. The reason, I – I mean, I
made an instant decision that that was friend, not foe.

51. Mr. Hurley tried to get information from Mr. Wise using hand signals, but Mr.
Wise “visually communicated” to Mr. Hurley, “I got nothin’. I can’t see him.”

52. With no actionable intelligence from Mr. Wise, Mr. Hurley peered around the
corner of the retaining wall to locate Mr. Troyke.

53. At that moment, he saw Mr. Troyke returning westbound to the Square with an
AR-15 rifle.

54. Mr. Hurley raised his pistol and began shooting at Mr. Troyke.

55. Mr. Hurley fired six rounds and hit Mr. Troyke five times.

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 Mr. Hurley (squared) shoots Mr. Troyke five times. Officer Beesley on the ground.
56. After he shot Mr. Troyke, Mr. Hurley picked up the AR-15 because Mr. Troyke
was still alive, and the weapon thus presented a threat. Mr. Hurley began removing the
magazine to make the weapon safe.

57. Mr. Hurley’s actions were obvious to accountant Mr. Wise, who stated that he
observed Mr. Hurley “tak[e] the mag out of” Mr. Troyke’s rifle.

58. While Mr. Hurley unloaded the weapon, he held the rifle “pointing down.”

59. Mr. Hurley was hunched over the rifle in a non-ready position.

60. Mr. Hurley was stationary.

61. Mr. Hurley’s position was not consistent with what a reasonably trained officer
would expect from an active shooter.

Mr. Hurley (squared) hunched over while unloading the assault rifle

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D. Officer Brownlow Unreasonably Ambushes Mr. Hurley with Deadly Force

62. On the morning of June 21, 2021, Officers Brownlow, Boom, and Hall (the same
three APD officers who had the heated verbal exchange with Mr. Troyke during an arrest two
weeks prior) reported for duty at the APD administrative office just north of the Square.

63. The three officers were part of Arvada’s Community Outreach Resource and
Enforcement (“CORE”) unit, which acts as a liaison between the APD and the community—for
instance, members of the CORE unit patrol the Square on bicycles, perform outreach to the
homeless community, and conduct safety briefings for local businesses.

64. CORE officers carry firearms. Officer Brownlow had a Glock 34 pistol.

65. Officer Brownlow had been an Arvada Police Officer for six and a half years on
the date of this fatal incident.

66. Around 1:00 pm, the three CORE officers were eating lunch together inside the
administrative office and chatting in a common area.

67. When they heard two quick successions of gunshots, the three officers huddled
inside the building around a metal door with a window that looks east toward the parking lot
north of the Arvada Library.

68. From their vantage point, the three officers recognized that there was an active
shooter just outside of their building.

69. Officer Brownlow identified the shooter as a white man who was “wearing shorts
so I saw his white legs . . . [and was wearing] a black hoodie with the hood on . . . holding a big
fucking rifle.”

70. While the other two officers spread out to different vantage points, Officer
Brownlow continued watching Mr. Troyke through the door window.

71. When Mr. Troyke returned to his pickup truck to grab the AR-15, he walked out
of Officer Brownlow’s view.

72. Rather than step out of the building to keep track the shooter, Officer Brownlow
thought to himself: “I don’t have a rifle in here. We have handguns so we’re kind of inside, still
not really sure.”

73. A few seconds later, Officer Brownlow saw Mr. Troyke returning westbound
“carrying a rifle” toward the Square.

74. But again, Officer Brownlow (nor the other two APD officers) did not leave the
safety of the administrative office and again “lost sight of [Mr. Troyke].”

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 75. About ten seconds later, Officer Brownlow heard another series of shots (Mr.
Hurley shooting Mr. Troyke).

76. By this point, Officer Brownlow had backed up “eight or nine” feet away from
the window.

77. Officer Brownlow then saw a man in “a red t-shirt” step into view.

78. Officer Brownlow carefully observed the man wearing the red t-shirt for
approximately eleven seconds.

79. Officer Brownlow told CIRT investigators that he did not know who the “guy in
red” was and speculated that the “guy in black ditched his hoodie.”

80. In addition to the different upper body clothing, Mr. Troyke was wearing shorts,
whereas Mr. Hurley was clad in blue jeans.

81. Mr. Hurley also wore a baseball cap whereas Mr. Troyke wore a wide-brimmed
hat. Mr. Hurley wore sneakers whereas Mr. Troyke wore black boots and white socks.

82. Mr. Hurley had a thin, athletic build, whereas Mr. Troyke was heavy-set.

83. Any reasonable officer would have known that Mr. Hurley and Mr. Troyke were
different people.

84. Other law enforcement officers on the scene did not confuse the two men.

85. For example, Officer Boom told investigators that “I hate to say it but the guy in
the red shirt is not the guy I saw with the AR15. The guy with the AR15 was wearing black . . .
and my immediate thought was the shooter is still out there.”

86. Nor did Officer Brownlow have reason to believe that Mr. Hurley was an
accomplice or a second shooter at the time he decided to use deadly force.

87. During his interview for the post-shooting investigation, all of Officer
Brownlow’s statements and those that he attributed to other officers refer to the shooter in the
singular.

88. For example, Officer Brownlow explained that he heard Officer Boom say
something to the effect of, “Holy shit, there’s an active shooter.”

89. Officer Brownlow described that he saw “a guy in a black hoodie carrying a – a
rifle [w]alking [] east. And I see him . . . .”

90. Based on his own statements to investigators, Officer Brownlow did not raise the

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possibility of a second shooter until after he shot Mr. Hurley.

91. Immediately after Officer Brownlow shot Mr. Hurley, Officer Boom yelled at him
to take cover.

92. Officer Brownlow explained that he understood Officer Boom’s instruction to

mean that “either the man in red was the man in black or there’s another shooter.”

93. Officer Brownlow had no reason to believe there was a second active shooter, nor
did he consider that possibility until after he shot Mr. Hurley.

94. During his eleven seconds of observation, Officer Brownlow claimed that he
saw Mr. Hurley “manipulating the [rifle] . . . reloading or clearing a jam or something.”

95. However, Mr. Hurley was removing the magazine from the rifle, an action that
was clearly discernible to lay witness Mark Wise.

96. Officer Brownlow also stated that he observed Mr. Hurley simultaneously trying
to holster his handgun as he “manipulated” his weapon. Because Mr. Hurley was trying to
“manipulate” the rifle while holstering his handgun, he was struggling with both tasks.

97. During these eleven seconds of observation, Mr. Hurley had the AR-15 pointing
at the ground and never raised it.

98. During these eleven seconds of observation, Officer Brownlow saw that Mr.
Hurley was hunched over in a ‘non-ready’ position as he ‘manipulated’ the weapon. An active
shooter, in contrast, would likely have maintained their rifle in a ready-to-fire position while
reloading or clearing a jam.

99. During these eleven seconds of observation, Officer Brownlow saw that Mr.
Hurley was completely stationary. An active shooter would have likely been moving toward
targets.

100. At the time he was shot and killed, Mr. Hurley’s actions demonstrated that he had
no intent to cause harm. Mr. Hurley was stationary, hunched over, unloading the AR-15 rifle
(which was pointed down), while holstering his pistol. Furthermore, there were no third persons
visible to Officer Brownlow so he could not have seen Mr. Hurley actively threatening anyone.
Nor was Mr. Hulrey making any verbal threats.

101. Officer Brownlow nevertheless determined that he needed to immediately

eliminate the man in the red t-shirt without even providing a warning.

102. Notably, Officer Brownlow had remained inside the administrative office while
Mr. Troyke had murdered Officer Beesley and sprayed bullets in the surrounding area.

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 103. Officer Brownlow engaged Mr. Hurley at the moment he did precisely because
Officer Brownlow determined that he could do so safely, in light of Mr. Hurley’s hunched-over
and stationary position, his holstering of the pistol, and his ‘manipulating’ i.e., unloading of the
rifle.

104. Mr. Hurley did not react to Officer Brownlow opening the door of the
administrative office.

105. With his service weapon out and pointed directly at Mr. Hurley’s backside,
Officer Brownlow considered whether to issue any commands.

106. Despite all the indicia that Mr. Hurley was not the “guy in black,” nor was
Mr. Hurley posing any immediate threat, Officer Brownlow made a calculated and intentional
decision not to provide Mr. Hurley with a warning or command.

107. Crouched behind the parked car, Mr. Wise heard Officer Brownlow’s final series
of shots but did not know immediately who they struck. He later recounted (referring to Mr.
Hurley as ‘Good Sam’):

And just doing the math in my head, if ‘Good Sam’ is still there, officers would
have engaged ‘Good Sam’ in dialogue – ‘Put the gun down,’ or, ‘On your hands
and knees,’ or something to that effect. And there was none of that. It - it got real
quiet.

108. Had Officer Brownlow attempted to resolve any of the incongruities in his
observations, or had he reasonably assessed the level of threat, or had he announced his presence
with a few short words, the Arvada community could have celebrated Mr. Hurley instead of
mourning his loss.

E. Chief Link Strate is Responsible for Arvada’s Deficient Policies and Training

109. Chief Link Strate is the highest-ranking police official in Arvada and responsible
for Arvada’s policies and training.

110. Chief Strate has approved a deadly force policy that is unconstitutional on its face.

111. Arvada’s policy permits deadly force when an officer believes it necessary to
defend himself or a third person from the “imminent use of deadly physical force.”

112. However, Arvada’s deadly force policy explains that “[i]mminent does not mean
immediate or instantaneous.” (emphasis added)

113. The United States Supreme Court has held that a suspect must pose an
immediate threat to an officer or others to justify deadly force. Tennessee v. Garner, 471 U.S. 1,
11 (1985) (emphasis added).

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 114. Accordingly, Arvada’s deadly force policy lowers the threshold for when its
officers may use deadly force. Contrary to the constitutional standard, Arvada officers may
employ deadly force even when the suspect does not pose any immediate threat to the safety of
the officers or others.

115. Under Chief Strate’s guidance and approval, Arvada compounds its unlawful
deadly force policy by training its officers not to provide verbal commands during any active
shooter situation.

116. Whereas the Supreme Court has instructed that commands should be given “if
feasible,” Arvada trains its officers that commands should never be given in any active shooter
scenario. Arvada thus unconstitutionally trains its officers not to make an individualized
assessment in active shooter scenarios.

117. Arvada’s unconstitutional policies and training, as approved by Chief Strate,

contributed to the shooting death of Mr. Hurley.

118. Officer Brownlow used deadly force against Mr. Hurley even though he was not
presenting an immediate threat to an officer or others.

119. Officer Brownlow decided not to issue a command or warning to Mr. Hurley,
even though it was feasible, because he had been trained not to provide warnings in any active
shooter scenario.

V. CLAIMS FOR RELIEF

FIRST CLAIM FOR RELIEF

Colo. Const. Art. II, Section 7 — C.R.S. § 13-21-131 – Excessive Force

(Plaintiff Estate of John Hurley Against Officer Brownlow and Chief Strate)

120. Plaintiff Estate of John Hurley hereby incorporates all other paragraphs of this
Complaint as if set forth herein.

121. Defendants Officer Brownlow and Chief Strate are “peace officers” under C.R.S.
§ 24-31-901(3) and therefore, subject to C.R.S. § 13-21-131.

122. Defendant Officer Brownlow, at all relevant times hereto, was acting under color
of state law in his capacity as an Arvada law enforcement officer.

123. At the time of his death, Mr. Hurley had a protected interest under Colo. Const.
Art. II, Section 7 to be secure in his person against unreasonable searches and seizures, including
the use of deadly force.

124. Defendant Officer Brownlow unlawfully seized Mr. Hurley by the use of deadly
force.

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 125. Officer Brownlow’s use of deadly force without a warning or command was
objectively unreasonable under the circumstances of this case.

126. At the time he was shot, Mr. Hurley did not present an immediate threat to
officers or to others.

127. Officer Brownlow’s use of deadly force against Mr. Hurley was unnecessary and
unreasonable under the circumstances.

128. Defendant Brownlow’s conduct, as described herein, was attended by

circumstances of malice, or willful and wanton conduct, which he must have realized was
dangerous, and/or he acted heedlessly and recklessly without regard to Mr. Hurley’s
constitutionally protected rights.

129. By failing to sufficiently train, supervise, and discipline Arvada officers regarding
the proper use of force, and by approving unconstitutional policies, Defendant Chief of Police
Link Strate caused Mr. Hurley to be subjected to a deprivation of his civil rights.

130. As a direct and proximate cause and consequence of Defendant Brownlow and
Defendant Strate’s unconstitutional acts and omissions, Plaintiff Estate of John Hurley suffered
injuries, damages, and losses.

131. As a direct result of Defendant’s unlawful actions described here, Plaintiff Estate
of John Hurley suffered actual physical and emotional injuries.

SECOND CLAIM FOR RELIEF

Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-21-201 et seq.
Battery Causing Wrongful Death
(Plaintiff Boleyn against Officer Brownlow)

132. Plaintiff Boleyn hereby incorporates all other paragraphs of this Complaint as if
fully set forth herein.

133. Pursuant to Colo. Rev. Stat. §§ 24-10-105(1) and 24-10-118(2)(a), public

employees are not immune under the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act (“CGIA”) for
willful or wanton acts or omissions.

134. Pursuant to the CGIA, Plaintiff Boleyn provided Defendants with timely notice of
claim on December 10, 2021.

135. Officer Brownlow intentionally used force against Mr. Hurley with the intent to
inflict harmful contact on Mr. Hurley, and such contact caused injury to Mr. Hurley, namely his
death.

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 136. As described in detail above, the use of force against Mr. Hurley was not
reasonable because the force was more than the amount of force that an officer in Brownlow’s
position would have reasonably believed necessary to protect himself or others from any risk of
harm posed by Mr. Hurley.

137. Officer Brownlow’s intentional infliction of physical harm upon Mr. Hurley,
causing his death, was without legal authorization, privilege, or consent.

138. In using excessive force against Mr. Hurley, Officer Brownlow consciously
disregarded a substantial and unjustifiable risk of danger of death or serious bodily injury to Mr.
Hurley.

139. Officer Brownlow’s willful and wanton conduct caused Mr. Hurley’s death and
Plaintiff Boleyn’s damages.

140. Officer Brownlow’s conduct was attended by circumstances of malice, or willful

and wanton conduct, which he must have realized was dangerous, and/or he acted heedlessly and
recklessly, without regard to the consequences to Mr. Hurley or his family.

141. Officer Brownlow’s conduct constituted a felonious killing under C.R.S. §§ 13-
21-203 and 15-11-803, in that his conduct caused the death of Mr. Hurley and that he
consciously disregarded a substantial and unjustifiable risk that his conduct would cause the
death of Mr. Hurley.

142. Plaintiff Boleyn, as the biological mother of Mr. Hurley, suffered and continues to
suffer economic and non-economic damages due to Officer Brownlow’s tortious conduct,
including but not limited to economic damages for medical and funeral expenses and financial
losses due to the financial benefits she would have reasonably expected to receive from Mr.
Hurley had he lived, and non-economic damages for grief, loss of Mr. Hurley’s companionship,
impairment in the quality of her life, inconvenience, pain and suffering, extreme emotional
stress, and all other damages as allowed under the Colorado Wrongful Death Act.

RELIEF REQUESTED

WHEREFORE, Plaintiffs respectfully request this Court enter judgment in its favor, and
against each Defendant, for the following relief:

1. All declaratory relief and injunctive relief, as appropriate;

2. Actual economic damages, including but not limited to lost earnings and medical
related expenses, as established at trial;

3. Compensatory damages, including but limited to those for future pecuniary and non-
pecuniary losses, emotional pain, suffering, inconvenience, mental anguish, loss of
enjoyment of life, and other non-pecuniary losses;

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 4. Punitive damages on all claims allowed by law and in an amount to be determined at
trial;

5. Pre-judgment and post-judgment interest at the highest lawful rate;

6. The maximum tax-offset permitted by law;

7. Attorneys’ fees and costs; and

8. Such further relief as justice requires, and any other relief as allowed by law.

PLAINTIFFS DEMAND A JURY TRIAL ON ALL ISSUES SO TRIABLE

DATED: June 22, 2022

RATHOD | MOHAMEDBHAI LLC

__________________________

Matthew J. Cron
Siddhartha H. Rathod
Omeed Azmoudeh
Crist Whitney
2701 Lawrence Street, Suite 100
Denver, CO 80205
303-578-4400 (t)
303-578-4401 (f)
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

ATTORNEYS FOR PLAINTIFFS

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