L.A. County has voted to pay $3.3 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the family of a 31-year-old man who was fatally shot in front of his Lakewood home back in 2015. At the moment, few details about the incident have been released to the public, though according to documents, “the deputies claim their actions were reasonable under the circumstances.” Additionally, according to documents, the settlement was agreed to “based on the risks and uncertainties of litigation.”

But what happened exactly that lead to the fatal shooting? Well, according to Chris Berry, a federal police officer, “he called deputies on July 6, 2015, and asked for help with his brother John, who suffered from mental illness.” Chris reported that his brother was “acting erratically,” and the family was “concerned that he wasn’t taking his medication.”

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According to the deputies who responded, John “suddenly and without provocation rammed their patrol car with his vehicle” when they arrived. From there, he “fought with deputies and wasn’t subdued by the use of pepper spray and a Taser,” according to a department spokeswoman.

However, according to Chris Berry, the collision between cars never happened. In fact, “a cellphone video captured the shooting but did not include the collision between the cars.” When asked about the collision, Chris said, “they said he accelerated and crashed into the police car. That did not happen —I was there for the whole thing.” He added, “but they have to say that because it justifies their aggressive actions. ... I believe in my heart and I know Johnny wasn’t trying to hurt them.”

According to the lawsuit, about “20 to 30 shots were fired at Berry as his car began moving in reverse,” and claimed, “no deputy was injured during the confrontation.”

However, a sheriff’s spokeswoman told a different story, claiming “John Berry purposely put his car in reverse, and a deputy was crushed between the suspect’s car and an adjacent sheriff’s patrol car, prompting the shooting.”

According to Deputy Amber Smith, the injured deputy who was pinned between the cars in the collision “was treated at a hospital for abrasions, bruising and cuts to both legs and his left arm.”

Despite the conflicting stories, the settlement was approved without discussion, and “no corrective action plan to prevent similar situations was provided as part of the board documentation.” Additionally, the board voted to “postpone any discussion of corrective measures.”

Sources:

$3.3 million to settle fatal Lakewood sheriff’s shooting lawsuit

L.A. County Settles With Lakewood Man's Family Over Fatal Deputy-Involved Shooting