County supervisors voted Tuesday to pay out $1.25 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the parents of a 28-year-old man shot to death by a sheriff’s deputy along the railroad tracks behind Paramount High School in 2014.
When the lawsuit was filed in April 2015, one of the family’s attorneys, Ron Kaye, said he was seeking “justice” on behalf of Oscar Alberto Ramirez, who was shot “without warning” by Deputy Bryan Moreno around 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 27, 2014.
The unemployed laborer was shot several times, including once in the back of the head, in “broad daylight,” according to the complaint filed in Los Angeles federal court.
Deputies previously said they were responding to an armed fight at Paramount High School and were told suspects were armed with a knife and a possible handgun.
One deputy saw individuals who matched the description and tried to make contact with them. It was at this point that a deputy-involved shooting occurred, according to the sheriff’s department, which never clarified the status of any other individuals involved.
The victim’s family contends Ramirez was trying to stop the melee and was shot while attempting to run away.
Ramirez had no history of gun violence of weapons possession and was wearing shorts and a tank top when he was shot in broad daylight, according to another lawyer for the family.
“It’s not like he was wearing some bulky jacket and it took place down a dark alley,” attorney Kevin LaHue said in the months after the shooting.
Christian Ramirez said around the time of the shooting that his brother had “lived life peacefully.”
“He didn’t harm anyone,” he said of his sibling. “He just wanted to life a peaceful life. For that to be taken away from him is not right.”
The board approved the settlement without comment. No corrective action plan — which typically provides more details, including whether any disciplinary action was taken — was provided with the agenda item.
–City News Service