Attorney for police shooting victims in Los Angeles
Unfortunately, we’re hearing more and more accounts of officer-involved shootings happening all over the country. In Los Angeles County alone, police officers shot and killed 41 people in 2014, according to the Los Angeles Times Homicide Report.
In 2015 California became the first state to ban the use of a grand jury to indict officers in cases involving police shootings. While this did make it less difficult to convict an officer of criminal police misconduct in a case involving a shooting, it’s still a struggle when it comes to winning a civil lawsuit against a officer or a police department in the case of an officer-involved shooting. Police departments conduct internal investigations of their own into the circumstances surrounding the incident, but the details and the findings of these investigations are not always forthcoming
If you or a loved one has been the victim of police misconduct that involved a shooting by an officer or officers, having an attorney with knowledge and experience when it comes to successfully litigating police misconduct cases can make all of the difference when it comes to ensuring that you or your family member get just compensation. Damages awarded in these types of cases can include:
- Compensatory damages — current and future medical and hospital bills, lost income, burial expenses, and pain and suffering
- Punitive damages
- Civil rights damages
Greg Yates, attorney for police shooting victims, has handled some of the biggest police misconduct cases in the Los Angeles area, including the Rampart corruption scandal in the late 1990’s involving the LAPD’s Rampart Division and its anti-gang unit, CRASH, in which he successfully represented 60 clients, victims of civil right violations. Mr. Yates successfully recovered almost $20 million in damages for his clients.
In injury or death
In a recent NBC article, Mr. Yates discussed his most recent case involving a 16 year old teenager who was killed by a police officer from the L.A. Sheriff’s Department. The teen was fatally wounded in an incident that occurred on the evening of February 4, 2018. In a complaint filed in Los Angeles federal court, the suit alleges negligence and wrongful death, claiming that the victim was unarmed when he was shot and that the police engaged in excessive force as well as violating the victim’s constitutional rights.
The process of filing a lawsuit
The process of filing a civil lawsuit against a police department is complicated. Hiring an attorney with experience in police misconduct cases is essential to the success of your case. He or she will launch an extensive investigation, gathering evidence and uncovering all of the material facts of the case.
If you have been injured or have lost a family member to an officer-involved shooting in Los Angeles, California, contact Greg Yates, attorney for police shooting victims, to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.