Family members of unarmed black man shot by police sue city of Sacramento

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Family members of an unarmed young black man slain by two Sacramento policemen last year sued the officers and the city on Monday for wrongful death, claiming racial profiling and use of excessive force.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Sacramento by the parents, grandparents and children of shooting victim Stephon Clark, 22, seeks damages in excess of $20 million.

Representatives for the city of Sacramento could not immediately be reached for comment on Monday. It was not clear if the two police officers named in the lawsuit, Terrence Mercadal and Jared Robinet, had retained attorneys.

Clark was gunned down on the night of March 18, 2018 in his grandparents’ backyard by police responding to a report that someone was breaking windows.

-snip-

U.S. JANUARY 28, 2019 / 4:48 PM / UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO


Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-california-shooting-lawsuit/family-members-of-unarmed-black-man-shot-by-police-sue-city-of-sacramento-idUSKCN1PM2HQ

[blueinredohio]

1. I was wondering whatever happened to the tasers the cops had to have?

Why don't they use them instead of shooting people?

[cstanleytech]

2. Regarding the issue of tasers the problem is that they have some cons such as the potential to

cause some people to have heart attacks plus the taser is usually a one shot deal so if the person using it misses or both barbs fail to connect the user is shit out of luck and if the person you tried to use it on actually has a gun then you are going to have a really bad day.

[LanternWaste]

3. Why would the heart attack from a Taser be an issue

if the alternative is law enforcement simply pulling a firearm to shoot the suspect with deadly intent?

Shit out of luck, indeed...

[USALiberal]

4. Shooting first has no downside for police, they seldom get convicted! Nt

[ROB-ROX]

5. POLICE ARE TRAINED KILLERS

They are all trained to shoot to kill. I think it would require more training to be a "law enforcer." I think only when those who "kill" are sent to jail for murder, then their training be increased. I pray this trial gives the family what they deserve. Better training for all people who wear a badge, all murders being sent to prison, and money for their suffering......

[gunsmoker]

6. Know more

I sure want to know more about this case. What did the cops think Stephon had been up to —breaking into parked cars? Peeping into homes’ windows? No allegation of him being armed or violent.

One key fact— he was chased from some other people’s home /yard and led the cops on s long foot chase through the neighborhood, ending at his grandma’s home. But of course the officers wouldn’t know he had a legit connection to that house. When he jumps the fence runs through the backyard loaders by grandmas parked car and then looks like he’s trying to get inside the house through the back door may be cops were right to shoot him to prevent what they thought was a home invasion robbery and potential hostage situation ?

But I don’t think it’s right for cops to sit there and look at his bleeding body for five minutes refusing to give him any first aid until the entire swat team is there to back them up. When you’ve got a motionless suspect facedown on the ground that you know you’ve shot several times I think it’s fair to assume that he is no longer a threat and you (a cop, I mean) can carefully approach him. If prompt first aid would have saved this guys life then it sounds like the lawsuit has some merit on that issue.