Nationwide –Demetrize Carter, a 44-year-old African American man from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, who survived after being shot in the chest by police at a high school football game two years ago, has recently filed a federal civil rights lawsuit. He claims the shooting was racially motivated and that he was unarmed and not a threat.
Carter was among thousands of spectators at Choctaw High School on August 25, 2023, when gunfire broke out during a game between Del City and Choctaw. As the crowd scrambled, he says he raised his hands to show he was unarmed. Moments later, Del City police officer Shawn Hogue allegedly shot him.
According to the Oklahoman, the lawsuit accuses Hogue of acting on racial bias and the other officer on duty of failing to intervene. Carter is also suing Del City Police Chief Loyd Berger, Del City, and the Choctaw-Nicoma Park School District. He seeks compensatory and punitive damages, arguing that the police department and school district failed to prevent the violence and used inadequate security measures.
Carter’s attorneys claim the shooting is part of a larger pattern of excessive force against African Americans in Oklahoma County. They argue the police department neglected proper training and supervision, while the school district failed to use available tools such as metal detectors to keep weapons out of the stadium.
A grand jury later cleared Hogue of criminal charges after reviewing police bodycam footage. His attorney argued the video suggested Carter had a gun and tossed it after being shot, a claim Carter strongly denies. Hogue’s lawyer also rejected the lawsuit’s racial bias allegations, calling them fabricated.
The night also turned deadly when 16-year-old Cordae Carter, unrelated to Demetrize Carter, was killed in the initial exchange of gunfire. A murder case against another teenager was eventually dismissed after a key witness recanted. Cordae’s mother has filed her own lawsuit against the school district and city officials, blaming inadequate stadium security and lack of weapons screening.
In his court filing, Demetrize Carter said he saw a fight break out among students before the gunfire and even tried to intervene. Both Del City police and the school district have declined to comment further, citing ongoing litigation.