Jury Awards $189,000 to Mother of Black Woman Killed by Anaheim Police
An Orange County jury returned a rare verdict this week against law enforcement, finding Anaheim police liable for the death of Monique Deckard. The 43-year-old woman suffered from mental illness when she charged at officers from her apartment on March, 8 2015 with two knives in her hands. Three cops opened fire in the department's first fatal shooting captured by body-worn cameras.
After two days of deliberation, the jury found on Monday morning that Anaheim police were 25 percent at fault for her death, with Deckard accounting for the rest of the responsibility. They awarded $700,000 in non-economic damages in addition to $14,000 in funeral and burial expenses yesterday afternoon. But with the liability percentage factored into the former, the total payout becomes $189,000.
"Anytime that a jury finds a liability on the defendants' part, it's a win," John Sweeney, the Deckard family's attorney, tells the Weekly. "I thought the officers were wrong and negligent in their pre-shooting conduct and the jury agreed with me." What Sweeney doesn't agree with is that the jury held Deckard mostly at fault for her death despite being mentally ill. He is considering a motion for a new trial based on the liability verdict.
"Our thoughts go out to all touched by this unfortunate incident, which shows the difficulty and complexity of situations our officers face," Anaheim spokesman Mike Lyster says. "We thank the jurors for their time and consideration."
Read more: http://www.ocweekly.com/news/anaheim-pd-found-liable-in-shooting-death-7963882