Relatives of a man who was shot to death in a confrontation with sheriff’s deputies serving a warrant at his Compton home in 2020 have settled their suit against Los Angeles County and several deputies that alleged civil rights violations and negligence, attorneys in the case told a judge Monday.
The Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit was brought by two daughters and a nephew of the late 41-year-old Samuel Herrera Jr. stemming from the Sept. 10, 2020 shooting that occurred about 5:45 a.m. in the 500 block of South Bradfield Avenue.
On Monday, during a final status conference, the lawyers informed Judge Cherol J. Nellon that the case was resolved, but no terms were divulged and it was not immediately clear if the accord is subject to final approval by the Board of Supervisors.
In their court papers, attorneys for the defendants denied that unreasonable force was used and that the deputies reasonably believed that Herrera posed an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to them.
Sheriff’s deputies said detectives from the Operation Safe Streets Bureau were serving a search warrant when Herrera opened fire. They further said Herrera fled from a house into a detached garage and that deputies began shooting after Herrera fired at them from inside the garage.
When Herrera came out through a portion of the garage, he was shot again and pronounced dead at the scene and a weapon was recovered, deputies said.
But according to the suit filed in September 2021, the deputies began shooting at Herrera first, so he fled to the garage, where he encountered his nephew and the nephew’s girlfriend. The deputies opened fire again at Herrera and the two others as they left the garage and Herrera died later from his injuries, according to the suit.
The deputies either negligently shot Herrera in the mistaken belief he was a threat to them, or they shot him by accident, according to the plaintiffs’ court papers, which further alleged the deputies were not properly trained.
The plaintiffs further alleged that the deputies delayed in getting Herrera medical help.
The same month the lawsuit was filed, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to instruct the county coroner to conduct inquests into the death of Herrera as well as two other 2020 fatal deputy shootings: 47-year-old Dana “Malik” Young Jr. and 29-year-old Dijon Kizzee.