A mentally ill man knowingly put his own life at risk and forced two police officers in South Los Angeles to fatally shoot him in self-defense, according to defense papers obtained Wednesday in a federal wrongful death lawsuit.
The deadly force used against Ezell Ford on Aug. 11 “was caused and necessitated” by his actions, “and was reasonable and necessary for self- defense,” according to the Los Angeles federal court filing by Deputy City Attorney Denise C. Zimmerman.
The document was filed in answer to the September lawsuit lodged on behalf of Edsell and Tritobia Ford — the parents of Ezell Ford — which alleges the officers approached their son as he walked home even though he was not doing anything wrong.
The family’s lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles and the LAPD contends that the 25-year-old man was shot moments after he complied with police orders to lay on the ground.
The city attorney’s papers deny the family’s assertions, stating that Ford “knew and understood the degree of the risk involved, and voluntarily assumed such risk.”
A request for comment to Steven Lerman, the attorney representing the Ford family, was not immediately answered.
Days after the shooting, Los Angeles police said Ford tackled one of the officers and reached for the officer’s gun, prompting Officers Sharlton Wampler and Antonio Villegas to open fire.
Police said the officers were approaching Ford, who was making “suspicious movements,” when he turned and “grabbed one of the officers.”
“During the struggle, they fell to the ground and the individual (Ford) tried to remove the officer’s handgun from its holster,” according to the LAPD. “The partner officer then fired his handgun and the officer on the ground fired his backup weapon at the individual.”
In addition to filing the federal lawsuit, Lerman filed a $75 million claim against the city on behalf of the Ford family.
Lerman has said Ford was “mentally challenged,” a fact known to the officers, and was not doing anything wrong when he was stopped.
The two officers, he said, were “poorly trained” and have a documented “pattern and practice” of reckless conduct on the streets.
“These were rogue officers who knew everyone on that block,” Lerman said last month. “This poorly disabled man became a victim of these officers.”
Lerman refused to discuss what evidence he has gathered to support allegations that Ford was not resisting when shot.
“This case will not be tried in the media — it’ll be tried in federal court,” he said.
The shooting touched off several protests and calls for a speedy and transparent investigation. Activists have contended that eyewitnesses dispute the police account of events.
LAPD Inspector General Alexander Bustamante recently put out a call for witnesses to the shooting to come forward as he worked to complete his independent probe of the shooting.
— City News Service