Anton Black’s family files federal lawsuit Thursday, hoping for justice and police reform

GREENSBORO, Md.- Thursday, the family of Anton Black and the Coalition for Justice for Anton Black filed a Federal law suit regarding the 2018 police killing of the Caroline County teen.

“This was a good kid, he had big dreams, he didn’t do anything wrong, my child didn’t have a knife, he didn’t have a gun,” Antone Black, father of Anton Black, said.

Police in Greensboro tried to arrest Black in September of 2018, after someone reportedly saw him dragging a child down the street.

But after a lengthy struggle with police, Black ended up dying.

An autopsy concluded Black’s death was the result of a sudden cardiac issue.

Officials said that more than likely the stress of his struggle with police contributed to his death.

Investigators found no wrong doing by police.

“It’s not right what they did, no mother, or no family or father should have to go through what we went through,” Jennell Black, mother of Anton Black

The lawsuit that was just filed, involves a decertified police officer, two Eastern Shore police chiefs, one of whom has since pleaded guilty to criminal misconduct,  three small towns, including Ridgley, Centreville, and Greensboro, and the state’s medical examiner.

It charges them with an unconstitutional police killing and cover up.

“As a result of how the medical examination report was written, it clearly showed us that a coordinated effort between the medical examiners office and the police departments 38 in making sure that the police officers involved would be free,” Richard Potter, Coalition for Justice For Anton Black Leader, said.

Overall, the family, as well others involved in the lawsuit, hope it will bring about justice for Anton Black, but that’s not all.

They also hope it will inspire positive change in the future.

“We are not only going to get justice for Anton and his family, but that we will bring further attention to what has to stop,” Ken Ravenell, with Ravenell Law, said.

“I just don’t want anybody else to suffer or to lose their loved ones the way we have,” Jennell Black said.

We did reach out to the Greensboro Police Department, where Thomas Webster IV, one of of the officers involved worked.

They declined to comment on the matter.

As a reminder, Webster did end up losing his police certification in August 2019.