FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — A settlement has been reached between Fresno County and the family of a man shot and killed by sheriff’s deputies more than five years ago.
32-year-old Kenneth Mullins allegedly broke into an auto shop and fell asleep in March 2020.
The family’s attorney says Mullins was homeless at the time.
The shop owner found him inside and called deputies.
The first two deputies on scene say Mullins pulled his hands from his pockets and appeared to point a weapon at them so they opened fire, killing him.
But a third deputy disputed that account, he said Mullins had his hands at his sides and then put them up.
Mullins was not armed.
The lawsuit claimed the record of events was incomplete because deputies did not have body cameras at the time.
“Body cams protect the public, the victims, and the police officers because they show what really happened,” Mullins’ attorney Butch Wagner said.
Wagner says the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office decided to add body cameras following this case.
The $3 million settlement still needs final approval from the county.
The money will go to Mullins’s mother and daughter.
