A federal lawsuit has been filed against the city of Covington, alleging excessive force by police during a protest on the Roebling Bridge exactly one year ago.
The protest, which took place on July 17, 2025, began at The Banks and moved onto the bridge, where tensions escalated, leading to 13 arrests.
Body camera footage from the incident shows Officer Zachary Stayton repeatedly striking protester Brandon Hill in the head. Hill claims in the lawsuit that the arrest left him with bruises on his head and his arm in a sling, injuries that required months of physical therapy.
Details of the Incident
“At that moment I just didn’t understand what was going on, I didn’t understand why I was being arrested and the officer just proceeded to escalate,” Hill said in an interview last year.
“But I definitely felt a lot of blows, and I just didn’t understand why that after the first few, that, that didn’t stop,” he added.
Hill is suing the city of Covington, Officer Stayton, and another officer, alleging the city failed to properly train, supervise, and discipline its officers.
Stayton served a 30-day unpaid suspension and completed remedial training before returning to duty.
The lawsuit is seeking a jury trial as well as compensatory damages and punitive damages.
The officers and city have 21 days to respond to the lawsuit.
Original reporting: WLWT Cincinnati — read the source article.
