Jury rejects lawsuit after police fatally shoot man when going to wrong house
A federal court jury in Oxford, Mississippi, has ruled against a civil lawsuit filed by the widow of a man who was shot dead in 2017 by two police officers, while serving a warrant at the wrong address. Claudia Linares was seeking $20m in compensation for the death of her husband Ismael Lopez, 41. During the four-day trial that concluded on Thursday 15 September, the jury ruled that Southaven officers, Zachary Durden and Samuel Maze, did not violate Lopez’s civil rights. “The verdict was that the jurors did not believe that the use of force used by Officers Durden and Maze was excessive in light of all the facts that they considered,” Murray Wells, the attorney for Lopez’s family, said in a statement to WREG-TV. The case had previously attracted attention because the city tried to argue that Lopez did not have any civil rights as he was living illegally in the US and was facing deportation and criminal charges for the illegal possession of firearms. However, in 2020, a judge rejected the city’s claim, and ruled that constitutional rights apply to “all persons.” The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation reported that on 14 July 2017, Lopez and his wife were in bed when officers knocked on their door with the intention of serving a domestic violence warrant to a person who actually lived across the street. According to Mr Durden and Mr Maze, the pair did not identify themselves, and when the door opened, Lopez’s dog ran out and he pointed a rifle through the door. Officer Maze then shot the dog and Mr Durden fired multiple bullets at Lopez. He died after a bullet hit the back of his skull when he was six feet from his front door. Police have claimed he was running away from law enforcement, and a third office later told investigators that Mr Durden had ordered Lopez to drop his rifle several times before shooting him. Lopez’s lawyers stated in their argument that his fingerprints and DNA were not found on the rifle supposedly used to fire at Mr Durden, but believe the officer shot him in reaction to his colleague shooting the dog. They also called upon evidence that state investigators found his body lying in a prone position with his hands cuffed behind his back. There is no video footage to corroborate either claim. “Those officers used tactical maneuvers to hide themselves as police officers,” Mr Wells told WREG. “There are a couple of huge factors at play. One was this unbelievable mistake of going to the wrong address and we felt it was just incompetent because they didn’t even take the time to look at the boxes. They went to the wrong side of the road, so that started this. They never announced that they were police and at the end of the day Ismael Lopez was shot through a door, in the back of the head,” he said. Darren Musselwhite, mayor of Southhaven, praised the jury’s decision: “This verdict proves what we’ve believed to be correct since day one as our officers responded appropriately considering the circumstance of being threatened with deadly force,” he said. “We’ve stood behind them during the last six years for this very reason and, for their sake, are glad this trial is over.” Read More Police officer who fatally shot motorist charged with murder Philadelphia officer to be fired over shooting death of Black man as new video contradicts police account A Utah man was killed during a police traffic stop. His family say they’ve been ‘stonewalled’ by authorities
2023-09-19 02:47
Is there a big age gap betwen 'The View's Ana Navarro and Al Cardenas? Couple keep politics far away from marriage
For Ana Navarro, home is Miami, her husband Al Cardenas and her pet pooch ChaCha
2023-07-25 15:57
M1 Abrams tanks to enter Ukraine 'soon': US defence chief
Ukraine will soon receive M1 Abrams tanks from the United States as Kyiv's forces steadily advance in their counter-offensive against Moscow's troops, US Defence Secretary...
2023-09-19 18:17
NZ's Southee refuses to blame World Cup fatigue for Bangladesh Test loss
New Zealand Test captain Tim Southee refused to blame fatigue from a gruelling ODI World Cup campaign in India for his side's defeat in the first Test of a two-match...
2023-12-02 16:18
Colombia plane crash: The clues that helped find the children
Clues including footprints and partially eaten fruit led rescuers to four children missing in the Amazon.
2023-06-10 17:58
Who killed Tupac Shakur? What we know about the rapper's murder investigation, almost 30 years later
For almost three decades, the answer to "Who murdered Tupac Shakur?" has remained a mystery.
2023-07-21 12:53
Leslie Van Houten, follower of cult leader Charles Manson, released from California prison
Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten has been released from a California prison after serving 53 years for two infamous murders
2023-07-12 03:57
New Zealand falls short again at the Cricket World Cup in bid for redemption after 2019 final
New Zealand is still waiting for that first Cricket World Cup title
2023-11-16 02:23
Chiefs' Punter Tommy Townsend Put a Helmet on Top of His Helmet, Which is Actually a Comedy No-No
VIDEO: Tommy Townsend found an extra helmet.
2023-09-08 09:53
Gulf bourses mixed as China pessimism offsets higher oil prices
By Md Manzer Hussain Gulf stock markets put in a mixed performance on Sunday as higher oil prices
2023-11-12 22:18
Some Lahaina residents will get to return to the torched remains of their historic town today. But dangers still loom in West Maui
More than a month after catastrophic flames raced across Lahaina, annihilating most of the historic town and killing 97 people in Maui, some residents will finally be able to return to the charred remains of their homes Monday.
2023-09-25 23:47
Wildfire on Greek island of Rhodes forces hundreds to evacuate
ATHENS (Reuters) -A wildfire which has been raging on the Greek island of Rhodes for five days forced hundreds of
2023-07-23 02:17
You Might Like...
Breaches by Iran-affiliated hackers spanned multiple U.S. states, federal agencies say
Storm chasers capture frightening footage from inside Hurricane Lee
'It reigns in the family': Internet mocks as Jada Pinkett Smith's brother Caleb and wife file for divorce
Forced kiss claim leads to 'helplessness' for accuser who turned to Olympics abuse-fighting agency
Verstappen back on top in Monaco but demands more from Red Bull
9 people shot in mass shooting in Cleveland, police say
Spanish soccer federation to hold urgent meeting over kiss scandal
Rod Stewart has no plans to retire despite string of health crises including beating cancer twice
