Parents of slain teen sue Carver County, allege privacy violations
The parents of a teen killed by Carver County sheriff's deputies filed a lawsuit Monday against county officials, alleging they illegally released law enforcement records about the boy in violation of Minnesota’s Data Practices Act.
Deputies shot Archer Amorosi, 16, on July 13, 2018, after his mother called 911. Kara Amorosi had reported that Archer was suffering a mental health crisis and was being violent and destructive.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said Cpl. Jacob Hodge and Deputy Travis Larson shot Archer after trying to subdue him with pepper spray and a Taser. The teen then emerged from his house with a hatchet and what appeared to be a handgun. Deputies tried the Taser a second time, but it did not work.
Investigators later determined the weapon Archer was carrying was a BB gun.
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In their lawsuit, Don and Kara Amorosi say in the days after their son’s death, the Carver County Sheriff's Office "flooded the media" with private records, including the transcript of Kara's 911 call, in an effort to "exonerate its deputies." Because their son was a minor, they contend that state law requires law enforcement to keep information about him private.
They also claim County Attorney Mark Metz illegally disseminated private information last October in a news release when he announced his decision not to file criminal charges against the deputies.
The parents say Metz informed them of his decision not to prosecute before announcing it publicly, but in an act “devoid of human decency,” he withheld the news release from them so “they could not object to any of its specific content.”
Metz’s Oct. 11, 2018, release includes a detailed description of a 911 call Don Amorosi made the day before the shooting, when he discussed concerns about Archer’s mental health.
In a statement, Paul Dworak, the family’s attorney, said violation of privacy protections for juvenile records is a crime, and he called on the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office “or some other independent law enforcement agency” to investigate.
Deputy Carver County Attorney Peter Ivy told MPR News that the office does not comment on pending litigation.