A new lawsuit filed against the City of Covington and two of its police officers alleges officers used excessive force against a “Black LGBTQ man” during a September 2024 traffic stop.
The civil rights lawsuit, filed Wednesday, comes from Damian Connor and his attorney, Jamir Davis. In a press release announcing the lawsuit, Davis claims officer Doug Ullrich, a 14-year veteran of Covington Police, unlawfully arrested and searched Conner’s vehicle, and that Connor’s case reflects a pattern in Ullrich’s career.
“This case exemplifies the routine abuse of power, where officers use unnecessary force and perform unlawful searches on individuals — telling them to submit now and fight in court later,” Davis said. “That’s exactly what we’re going to do.”
The lawsuit claims Connor was driving south on I-75 on his way to work when Ullrich pulled him over for a “standard communication device violation” – the lawsuit said Connor was “actively typing in his phone for directions.”
After being pulled over, Connor was compliant while talking to Ullrich, according to the lawsuit, providing his license, registration and insurance information. After running Connor’s information, Ullrich called for backup and waited for the second officer to arrive at the scene. When the unnamed officer arrived, Ullrich asked Connor if he was in possession of a gun.
“Mr. Connor, without reaching around, do you carry a gun, sir?” Ullrich says in body camera footage provided by Davis.
“What?” Connor asks.
“Do you carry a gun?” Ullrich says.
“I’m confused, [inaudible] can I-” Connor says.
“It is a very simple question, do you have a gun?” Ullrich says.
“Sir, I can’t answer any questions, I’ve got to get to work,” Connor says. The lawsuit says Connor was “confused why there was an issue” when Ullrich then told him to get out of the car.
“Take your seat belt off,” Ullrich says.
“For what?” Connor says.
“Take your seat belt off. I don’t want to have to rip you out of the car and take you to jail, so take your seat belt off,” Ullrich says.
“What are you taking me to jail for?” Connor says.
“I’m telling you I don’t want to, so take your seat belt off,” Ullrich says.
The lawsuit says Connor was “actively trying to de-escalate a confrontation” when he asked the officer to explain why he had to exit his car.
Body camera footage shows Ullrich reaching into the car to open the driver’s door from the inside while Connor objects, appearing to reach for the handle to keep the door closed.
“You’re being ordered [inaudible], get out of the car,” Ullrich says while trying to open the door.
“I don’t want to get out of my car, stop, this is against my will,” Connor says.
“You are now under arrest,” Ullrich says.
“Why am I under arrest?” Connor says.
“You’re refusing to exit the car,” Ullrich says while placing Connor in handcuffs through the car window.
“Why do I have to get out of my car for a fucking ticket?” Connor says.
Ullrich and the unnamed backup officer proceed to open Connor’s door and cut his seatbelt.
“Why you gotta cut my seatbelt?” Connor asks. “Because you’re already in handcuffs and I’m not taking you out of handcuffs to fight with you on the interstate,” Ullrich says. “Step out.”
Connor appears to step out of the car without resisting, though he continues to verbally oppose the officers’ actions.
“This is so crazy, he’s arresting me,” Connor says. It’s unclear if he’s speaking to someone on the phone; he’s seen wearing wireless headphones in the footage.
“You pulled me over for what?” Connor asks Ullrich.
“For refusing to get out of the car,” Ullrich says.
“Why do I need to get out of my car?” Connor asks.
“Because your car stinks like weed,” Ullrich says. This is the first mention from the officer about suspicion of marijuana during the stop, according to the body camera footage.
“I don’t smoke weed, sir. I work for the railroad, I can’t smoke weed,” Connor says.
“Well, then you should have got out of the car,” Ullrich says while searching Connor.
Ullrich tells Connor he’s being arrested for obstruction, places him in a police cruiser and returns to Connor’s car to begin a search. Opening a backpack in the passenger seat, Ullrich’s body camera shows him pulling a hand gun out of the bag.
“Oh, look at that, a gun,” Ullrich says. “Just like I thought.”
Connor is the legal owner of the registered gun, according to the lawsuit. Ullrich remarks that there are pills in the bag, which aren’t seen in the footage.
After the search, Connor’s attorney said he was transported to the Kenton County jail where he spent the night, facing several charges. Davis said all charges were dropped the following day.
The lawsuit claims that Ullrich has a “long history of wrongfully accusing African Americans of being intoxicated or smelling like marijuana as a means of initiating unconstitutional searches.”
There have been five civil lawsuits filed against Ullrich since 2021, with four claiming Ullrich conducted searches or arrests based on allegations of marijuana in a car. Three of these lawsuits are still active, one is in appeals and one is closed, according to court records.
CityBeat reached out to the City of Covington for comment but did not hear back by press time.
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This article appears in Mar 19 – Apr 2, 2025.