Family of San Gabriel man fatally shot by
Torrance police settles wrongful death lawsuit
Link to the Daily Breeze article.
John Bailey, President
Southeast Torrance Homeowners’ Association, Inc. (SETHA)
Family of San Gabriel man fatally shot by Torrance police settles wrongful death lawsuit
The father of a San Gabriel man who died in a police shooting in
2017 reached a settlement of $200,000 last month in a wrongful death lawsuit he
filed against the city of Torrance.
Michael Lopez, 44, was unarmed when he was shot 23 times by Torrance
police officers and died on Oct. 14, 2017. At the
end of two car pursuits, Lopez was accused of revving his engine in an attempt
to flee again – putting officers in his path – and officers shot at him to bring
the vehicle to a stop, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in
a report of the incident.
The District Attorney’s Office said that the five officers
involved in the incident acted in
self-defense or defense of others, and that they would
not face criminal charges. A coroner found cocaine in Lopez’s blood, officials
said.
Torrance City Attorney Patrick Sullivan confirmed the settlement
amount in a Friday email, but did not provide further comment on the
case.
Lopez’s father, Victor Reyes, initiated the wrongful death
lawsuit about one year after his son’s death and reached a settlement agreement
with the city on June 8. Michael Carrillo, the lawyer who represented Reyes,
said Lopez’s family is glad that they are able to move on and “keep the good
memory of him in their hearts.”
“I thought it was excessive, the number of gunshots,” Carrillo
said Thursday. “It was going to come down to whether a jury believed it was
reasonable for these officers to fire and to fire that many times; I don’t
believe it was a dispute if he was under the influence.”
Carrillo said he hopes the case will lead to more training for
Torrance police
Comments