California County To Pay $7.5M To A Man Shot By Deputy

California County To Pay $7.5M To A Man Shot By Deputy

Introduction

A civil lawsuit brought by the family of a homeless man fatally shot by an Orange County Sheriff's Department officer in San Clemente in 2020 has been settled for $7.5 million by the county.

The guy was killed on September 23, 2020, after a conflict between him and two sheriff's officers who were members of the department's homeless outreach team erupted after the man was detained on suspicion of jaywalking. The victim's relatives brought the wrongful death case after his death. Officials with the Sheriff's Department said that during a struggle, the guy grabbed one of the deputy's firearms, which is when the shooting took place.

The constable was cleared of any criminal misconduct by the Orange County District Attorney's Office in a statement released in February 2022. According to prosecutors, their investigation revealed that the individual had not been jaywalking but had instead broken a traffic law by crossing during a red hand signal, which allowed deputies to approach him.

The man's arms were flailing and "incidentally" close to the firearm, according to the family's civil lawsuit, which claimed the homeless outreach team was "ill-equipped to deal with mentally ill subjects and disproportionately targets and detains persons of color in Orange County."

The settlement was authorized by the OC Board of Supervisors on May 9 at a meeting that was held in secret session. The Orange County Sheriff's Office declined to comment. The two deputies involved in the shooting were demanded to be fired and arrested during the protests that followed the shooting.