VISTA, Calif. (AP) — A jury has received two lawsuits that claim San Diego County sheriff's deputies used excessive force when they shot an unarmed man in 2006.
The widow and daughter of David Lopez brought the federal lawsuits against three deputies. They're seeking $200,000 in damages. Jurors got the cases on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old Lopez was a parolee with convictions for theft, wife-beating and assaulting a police officer. The North County Times says he was drunk and high on methamphetamine when he threatened his wife with a knife and beat a neighbor unconscious at a Vista mobile-home park.
He was shot 12 times, including nine shots in the back. The deputies say he was killed after reaching for his waistband during a scuffle but Lopez's family claims he was running away.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
