FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – The City of Fresno settling a lawsuit for millions stemming from a shooting 4 years ago.
The City agreed to pay $2.2 million dollars to settle a civil rights lawsuit filed on behalf of the family of Jamie Reyes Junior.
The 28 year-old Fresno man who was shot by police in June of 2012, while climbing a fence at Aynesworth Elementary School in Southeast Fresno.
“The police were looking for him, they believed he was in possession of a stolen gun, and when they saw him – he ran, and he jumped a fence, he was about to run toward his mother’s house. Witnesses say when he was at the top of the fence an officer shot him once and he fell down, and once he was on the ground the officer walked closer and fired three more shots at him while he was laying on the ground.” – Reyes Family Attorney Michael Haddad.
Haddad says the family was seeking damages from the city and police department including wrongful death and unreasonable use of force.
“The Fresno Police Deportment has agreed to change their shooting policy to only allow officers to use deadly force when they are facing an immediate threat, which means a threat right now, and in the past they were allowed to do it when they were facing an imminent threat which they defined as a potential threat in the future.” Attorney Michael Haddad.
When City Spokesperson Mark Standriff was contacted by KMJ, he sent the following statement from the City Attorney: “Our policy is to not discuss pending settlements until all parties have signed off. Until then, it would be premature to comment.” Standriff said “the Chief will respond to any policy discussions.”
Below is Chief Dyer’s statement regarding Jaime Reyes Jr. v. City of Fresno:
“The city has agreed to review policies and recommend minor changes during the meet and confer process if appropriate. The city has always felt that this tragic shooting was legally justified and settlement should not be viewed as an indication that this view has changed. Jaime Reyes was a gang member under the influence of meth who fled from officers while carrying a stolen handgun into a school yard occupied by children. However, circumstances unrelated to the actual incident have dictated that it would be economically sound for the city to settle this matter before incurring the costs of trial.”
Click below to hear the story by KMJ’s Liz Kern:
