Police

Parents of Man Shot and Killed by Officer File Lawsuit, Claim He Never Threatened Them

The parents of the 22-year-old who was shot and killed by an El Paso police officer have filed a lawsuit against the officers involved and the city of El Paso. According to court documents, the lawsuit was filed on Friday and alleges that the shooting death of Erik Emmanuel Salas Sanchez was unjustified and that he was killed in front of his mother, his sister and her infant daughter. Earlier …


Palm Island Riots Class Action Could Cost Government $40 Million: Lawyer

A class action against the Queensland government over a “racist” police response to an infamous death in custody, and resulting riots on Palm Island, could cost almost $40 million, lawyers claim. A Federal Court decision in December found police were racist in responding to Cameron “Mulrunji” Doomadgee’s death and the unrest that followed, paving the way for further action. Riot ringleader Lex …


Federal Judge Denies Clay’s Lawsuit Seeking Re-Hanging of Controversial Painting

A federal judge has rejected Rep. William Lacy Clay’s legal attempt to rehang a controversial painting on the wall of a tunnel connecting the U.S. Capitol with a House office building. John D. Bates, a judge in the District Court for the District of Columbia, ruled that “Untitled #1,” a painting by former Cardinal Ritter College Prep student David Pulphus, was government speech, …


Utah Supreme Court Considers Lawsuit Over Shooting of ‘Geist’ the Dog

The state’s top court is wading into the controversy surrounding the shooting of “Geist” the dog. In arguments Monday, the Utah Supreme Court considered whether Sean Kendall should be required to post a bond before he proceeds with a $2 million lawsuit against Salt Lake City police who shot his dog. At issue is a unique Utah law that requires a bond if a person tries to sue a cop.


Lawsuit Claims Las Vegas Police Have ‘vague’ Social Media Policy

A Las Vegas corrections officer has blasted his employer in a federal lawsuit that accuses the Metropolitan Police Department of implementing an “unconstitutionally vague” social media policy. Clark County Detention Center officer John Sabatini was fired last year after the department’s …


U.S. Supreme Court Case Could Impact Olango Family Lawsuit

Protesters rallied outside police headquarters Saturday, calling on the El Cajon Police Department to fire the officer who shot and killed Alfred Olango back in September of 2016. In Olango’s case, attorneys argued that Officer Richard Gonsalves “aggressively confronted Olango and cornered him.” They allege the officer’s demeanor provoked Olango to take a shooting stance, …


Lawsuit: Domestic Violence Survivor Kicked Out of Town for Calling 911 Against Violent Ex

When a domestic violence survivor calls 911 against a dangerous ex, they don’t usually assume they’ll get kicked out of town. And yet that’s what the ACLU says happened to Rosetta Watson, who used to live in the small town of Maplewood, Missouri. She called authorities four times on an abusive former boyfriend from September 2011 to February 2012, according to the federal lawsuit filed Friday.


Police Sergeant Lauded for Plane Crash Response Files Whistle-Blower Suit Against City

A Lexington police sergeant has filed a lawsuit against the city accusing his supervisors of retaliating against him after he reported alleged sexual harassment by top Lexington police officers, according to court documents. Sgt. Bryan Jared, who helped rescue the co-pilot from Comair Flight 5191 after the plane crashed and burned on takeoff from Blue Grass Airport in 2006,, filed the lawsuit …


U.S. Superme Court Ruling on Police Provocation Could Impact Olango Lawsuit

Even though a police officer might ultimately be justified in shooting a person during a confrontation, can the officer still be held liable if he was found to have recklessly or intentionally provoked the violent encounter in the first place? It’s a question the U.S. Supreme Court is considering in a Los Angeles-area case, and one that lawyers for El Cajon police say may have bearing on the …


South Carolina Man Killed by Police Was Shot 17 Times in Back: Lawsuit

The sister of a South Carolina man who was killed by police after a high-speed car chase claims in a lawsuit that three officers shot her unarmed brother 17 times in the back — as he lay on the ground. Waltki Cermoun Williams “did not have a weapon” and was struck in total by 19 of the two dozen shots fired at him during the deadly confrontation on Dec. 10, according to a lawsuit filed in …