Jury clears LAPD officer of excessive force in shooting of naked man
A federal jury rejected claims that an LAPD officer used excessive force when he fatally shot an unarmed, naked man in Playa Vista in 2011, but the panel deadlocked on whether the officer was negligent in the killing.
Jamon Hicks, the attorney for the dead man’s family, said his clients would seek another trial on the negligence issue. Despite the verdict, he said, the family continues to believe the shooting of Reginald Doucet Jr. was unjustified.
“We will get justice. We will keep up the fight,” Hicks said after the verdict.
The city’s civilian Police Commission previously found that the shooting was justified.
An LAPD report to the commission said Doucet, a 25-year-old athletic trainer and model, attacked officers who were responding to a call of a disturbance and possible theft. The department said Doucet tried to grab the gun of one of the officers and was shot during the struggle.
For more Southern California crime news, follow @lacrimes.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
