Lawsuit Filed In Fatal Compton Shooting Involving Deputies
COMPTON (CBSLA.com) — As the public increasingly scrutinizes deadly police shootings of black men and the alleged abuse of force, the family of a man fatally shot by deputies in Compton this summer is filing a wrongful death lawsuit.
Antoine Hunter, a 24-year-old black man, was shot and killed around 10 p.m. on June 24 following a deputy pursuit, according to the L.A. County Sheriff's Department. A passenger in the vehicle, Geremy Evans, was shot and critically injured.
Two deputies said they first spotted Hunter driving recklessly and suspected he may be under the influence. When they tried to initiate a traffic stop Hunter refused to pull over.
A brief chase ensued, ending when the suspect's car collided with a parked vehicle at North Poinsettia Avenue and East Palmer Street.
Hunter's family and Evans are disputing what happened next: Deputies said in their report that when they tried to contact the suspects Hunter tried to strike the passenger deputy with the vehicle. As the driver deputy repositioned himself, he said he heard the engine rev, Hunter arm himself with a handgun and Evans reach for the vehicle's center console.
Deputies opened fire, killing Hunter and injuring Evans, who was transported to a hospital.
That's not what happened, according to Attorney Humberto Huizar, who's representing the suit's plaintiffs, Geremy Evans and Hunter's mother, Martha Willis. He said Hunter and Evans had complied with deputies' commands to put their hands up.
Investigators reported finding a loaded handgun at the scene.
Huizar planned on holding a news conference at 2 p.m. Saturday at the corner where the shooting took place. The lawsuit is being filed against L.A. County and the L.A. County Sheriff's Department.
"I heard that my son was shot 10 times. Why would you shoot someone when you could have Tasered him?" said Hunter's mother, Martha Willis, in June.
"I heard at least eight to 10 shots. And they're all, like, accurate shots. It wasn't like a shootout. It was more like they're aiming, and they shot the person," witness Adam Perez said.
Willis said Hunter served time in prison for burglary and was several days away from finishing his parole.
"I'm not going to sit here and say he's some angel, but I've never known my son to carry a gun. Never," Willis said. "Take his little butt to jail if he was doing wrong, why did they have to kill my baby?"
Evans' mother said her son also had a criminal history, but did not deserve to be shot.
"The police raided my house … looking for weapons for my son, and it's unfair because they can't just do what they want to do in the city of Compton," Eunice Oby said.