Residents of certain parts of California seem to be concerned that police are using too much force when trying to stop suspects that they believe present a danger to those immediately surrounding them. Those that carry these concerns may be aware of the incident that occurred recently in California that left one man dead. His family is now seeking compensation from the city through a wrongful death lawsuit.
According to reports regarding the incident, two officers in Salinas, California, fatally shot the man. The officers claim that the man swung a set of garden shears toward them. As if this situation isn’t alarming enough by itself, this is the second time this month that a police officer in Salinas has shot an individual to their death. It is the third time already this year. Earlier this month a man was shot to death by police because he was allegedly chasing people around while threatening them with a lettuce harvesting knife.
The families of both men that were killed this month have filed wrongful death claims against the city. A civil rights attorney announced the filing of the suits and stated his belief that this is an unjust pattern that is developing in the city of Salinas. He has asked that the state and federal attorneys criminally prosecute the officers that killed these men.
As anyone in California can likely imagine, the unexpected loss of a loved one can be extremely painful and give rise to numerous hardships. In addition to the emotional suffering that the family will experience, they will also likely be dealing with medical bills and death expenses that can put even more strain on them. The good news is, as is seen in the cases discussed above, when someone is killed due to another’s negligence the surviving loved ones can seek compensation by filing a wrongful death lawsuit against that negligent party.
Source: The Californian, “Salinas police face second wrongful death claim,” Allison Gatlin, May 28, 2014
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