More than a year after 47-year-old Andre Martin was shot and killed in a West Side Staples parking lot, his family says they still do not know the names of the two Medina County sheriff's deputies who pulled the trigger. In a sharply worded letter this month to Mayor Justin Bibb, the family's lawyer accuses City Hall of sitting on key records and trying to "run out the clock" on potential civil-rights and wrongful-death lawsuits. The shooting happened on April 16, 2025, during what local authorities describe as a narcotics sting.
Family Demands Answers
Martin's attorney says the city has blown off four separate public-records requests and is "deliberately" hiding information about the shooting, according to News 5 Cleveland. The letter warns that delays and heavy redactions could undercut any civil case the family might file. Relatives say they are asking for the basics before deciding what to do next: body-worn camera footage, the full police report, and the coroner's findings.
How Marsy's Law Figures Into the Fight
Police departments across Ohio have increasingly leaned on Marsy's Law - the state constitutional amendment aimed at protecting crime victims' privacy - to black out the names of on-duty officers involved in shootings. An Ohio Supreme Court ruling found that, in some situations, law enforcement officers can be treated as victims under that law, a twist reported by WOSU Public Media and in court filings. Open-government advocates say that approach makes it tougher for families and the press to learn even the most basic facts in officer-involved shootings.
The Legal Clock the Family Is Worried About
Under Ohio law, most wrongful-death suits must be filed within two years of a person's death, and many federal civil-rights claims brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 borrow the state's two-year personal-injury deadline. See Ohio Revised Code §2125.02 and court guidance explaining that §1983 claims follow the state's statute of limitations. Martin's lawyer says the family's inability to get records now is a big reason they fear their window to sue could close before they even know what claims they might have.
Officials' Story and the Ongoing Probe
Local authorities say the deputies were working with a task force when Andre Martin pulled a knife and advanced toward them, and that two deputies opened fire. Both deputies were placed on paid administrative leave while the use-of-force investigation continues, according to News 5 Cleveland. That reporting also notes that Homeland Security investigators tied a package of cocaine and fentanyl worth about $250,000 to the broader probe, and that officers' body-camera footage has been collected but does not necessarily capture the shooting itself. The family disputes the official version of events and says they first heard that Martin was dead from social media posts, not from investigators.
Legal Stakes Behind the Records Fight
The collision between Marsy's Law redactions and strict two-year filing deadlines creates a practical squeeze on families. To decide whether to bring civil-rights or wrongful-death claims, they need documents and video that show what happened and when any legal claim might have started to run. Courts have repeatedly held that the limitations period for §1983 suits in Ohio tracks the state's personal-injury statute, which makes timely access to records more than a paperwork issue, it can determine whether a case ever sees a courtroom. See the Ohio Revised Code and recent federal court guidance on §1983 timing.
What the Family Wants Next
Martin's daughter and mother say they are not backing off. They plan to keep pressing for records and for a public explanation from the city about why information has been withheld. News 5 investigators report that they asked Cleveland officials to respond to the family's letter and, so far, have heard nothing. The family's attorney is urging Mayor Bibb's office to move, saying the release of those records is the only way the family can meaningfully weigh legal options and finally get answers about what happened in that Staples parking lot.
