Surviving Family Alleges Wrongful Death Against California SWAT

The surviving family of a man killed by a California SWAT team is seeking $20 million against the city of Anaheim.  The family claims that the SWAT team, without provocation and before giving any warnings or commands, opened fire on a father holding the barrel of a BB gun while he was talking with his friends.  The family claims that the police officers’ story that he pointed the gun at them and threatened them is blatantly false.  They point out that he was holding the BB gun, a present for his son, by the barrel, pointing upward, and was absolutely no threat at all.  This isn’t the first time Anaheim police have faced scrutiny for an accidental killing, there was a $50 million suit this summer involving an unarmed man and just this past week a man on a bike was shot and critically wounded because the police thought he was armed with a pistol.  Since 2005, Anaheim has paid $2.2 million to settle cases involving officer shootings.