Trial begins in a wrongful death suit filed by relatives of a Marine Corps veteran with PTSD.
They believe Sanger Police officers used excessive force when they shot and killed Charles Salinas.
He called police saying he was armed and suicidal, and was shot minutes after Sanger Police responded to the call.
Officers said in depositions they feared for their lives because of his criminal record and mental health.
Salinas had been honorably discharged from the United States Marines after serving from 1988 to 1991, and was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and depression.
He had been receiving treatment at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Fresno.
The officer-involved shooting took place outside a Sanger business, back in June of 2012.
A by-stander captured the incident on cell phone video, the video showed four officers shooting the 46-year-old man, even after Salinas laid on the ground.
According to court records, the officers did not know they had been videotaped when they gave their account of the shooting to investigators.
Salinas’ family contends the officers’ account of the shooting conflicts with what’s on the video.
Court records also show officers Jason Boust, Angela Yambupah and Preston Little fired 22 times, and Salinas was hit 11 times -including after he fell to the ground.
The Federal civil rights trial will explore whether Sanger police officers were justified in shooting, with the case being heard by a jury in U.S. District Court in Fresno.
