The family who alleges that Toledo police improperly searched their home while looking for children with guns has retained an attorney to investigate what happened during the incident Dec. 3.

“Our main goal is to investigate this issue,” said James King, a Detroit attorney, during a news conference Tuesday.

Officer Andrew Dlugosielski, spokesman for Toledo Police Department, mostly declined to comment on the case because the family has hired an attorney but gave some details about the pursuit and search of the home.

While in pursuit of the teens, officers said they saw the youths reaching into their pockets and waistbands, and because the officers did not lose sight of the youths, the officers could follow them into the home under hot pursuit, Officer Dlugosielski said. While in the home, officers found a .22 caliber round in plain view.

At 4:50 p.m. on Dec. 3, Toledo police responded to a report of kids pointing guns at people on Rock Court, according to police records. Police found a group of young males who, records show, took off running.

The group ran into a home in the 3400 block of Rock Court, according to records, and tried to close the door behind them but did not latch it. Officers pushed the door open, waited for more police to arrive, and entered the home.

A 16-year-old and a 17-year-old were taken into custody, records show.

Video of the incident was posted on Facebook, and body camera footage from Toledo police was released. The video shows officers directing children to get on the floor and put their hands behind their backs.

In the Facebook video, the children’s mother, Christy Galloway, yelled at officers that they did not have a warrant to search her home and that they needed to leave the property.

Gerald Rose, CEO of the New Order National Human Rights Organization, said he believes the police made a mistake in entering the home.

“I’m not here to chase cameras,” Mr. Rose said during Tuesday’s news conference. “I’m not here to be seen. I’m here to get a solution.”

Mr. King said he and the family have questions that haven’t yet been answered, such as a detailed account of events prior to police pursuing the children into the home.

“Our system has decided that flight... is not enough to establish probable cause,” Mr. King said.

Probable cause, exactly what police were investigating, other video footage from the home, and the person who initially reported that kids were pointing guns at people are all facets that need to be investigated, he said.

“We seek to find answers to those questions,” he said.

First Published December 14, 2021, 6:38 p.m.