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Former IMPD chief reacts to Major Davis lawsuit

Posted at 6:54 PM, Jan 14, 2016
and last updated 2016-01-14 19:03:28-05

INDIANAPOLIS -- Former IMPD Chief Rick Hite buried IMPD Officer Perry Renn days after Major Davis II allegedly killed the officer in a hail of gunfire in July 2014. 

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Hite is named as one of the defendants in a lawsuit Davis filed claiming that Renn used excessive deadly force against him. 

PREVIOUS | Man accused of killing IMPD officer suing Indianapolis for excessive force 

"Rather than come out and say that he's sorry, it's transference of the pain he's feeling of having taken an officer's life and righting it in such a way that he's telling us all what really took place that day," Hite said. 

Davis filed the suit on his own behalf, alleging that he's been irreparably injured by the misconduct of the defendants and is seeking $6.9 million in damages from Renn's estate. 

RELATED | Major Davis II speaks for first time since arrest in officer's death

Legal experts say that by filing the suit, Davis may have jeopardized his criminal case, where prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. 

"My legal opinion is that he's waived, or given up his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent. So I think that the state, seeing this lawsuit, will argue that now we have a right to take his statement under oath and we have the right, perhaps, to call him as a witness in his death penalty case," Jack Crawford said. 

It is a civil case that legal experts call rare and miscalculated, brought on by an alleged cop killer awaiting trial for the murder of the officer he is now suing. 

MORE | Indianapolis police Officer Perry Renn killed in shootout with suspect 

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