Claims Filed in Shooting; 911 System Faulted

Citing negligent infliction of emotional distress, attorneys for survivors of a birthday party shooting rampage in East Los Angeles that left four people dead filed damage claims Wednesday against the county and called for an overhaul of the 911 emergency system that “failed in this case.”

“We’ll be asking the county to negotiate with us,” attorney Marco E. Lopez said during a news conference on the steps of the county Hall of Administration. “If negotiations are not commenced within 30 days, we’ll be suing them for specified damages.”

Maria Navarro was celebrating her 27th birthday with about 20 family members and friends Aug. 27 when a man called to warn that her estranged husband was coming to kill her.

Had Restraining Order

Clutching a restraining order in her hand, she dialed 911 to request police protection but was told by a sheriff’s dispatcher that no officers could be sent to the house until her husband arrived, Lopez said.

A few minutes later, a gunman identified by sheriff’s detectives as Raymond Navarro Jr., 26, burst into her home and opened fire. Without police protection, Maria Navarro and other unarmed party guests were forced to “take the role of law enforcement officers into their own hands,” Lopez said.

Maria Navarro’s last act was to save the life of her eldest daughter, Claudia, 7, by knocking the gunman’s arm as he aimed a handgun at the little girl, Lopez said. The woman had already been shot at least once in the chest when she rushed forward and deflected the gun, the lawyer said.

“Also, we have Berta Galvan who was attempting to subdue the assailant and was shot in the head,” Lopez said. “She has a bullet lodged in her brain and it is our understanding that the brain injuries are permanent and of a very serious nature.”

Maria Navarro died of her wounds. Also killed were her aunts, Maria Garcia, 65, and Francisca Arizpe, 62, and a family friend, Leticia Dipp, 46. Galvan, 65, a third aunt, and Richard Covarrubias, 43, a party guest, were wounded.

Pleaded Not Guilty

Raymond Navarro, who is being held without bail and could face the death penalty if convicted, has pleaded not guilty to multiple murder charges.

Meanwhile, the Navarros’ three children--Claudia, Denise, 6, and Raymond, 5--are being treated for delayed post-traumatic stress syndrome and “deep resentment, anxiety and anger over the taking of their mother,” Lopez said.

Another attorney in the case, Jose Castorena, said damage claims were filed with the executive office of the county Board of Supervisors on behalf of Maria Navarro’s three children and her mother, Delia Fajardo. Similar claims were filed on behalf of Berta Galvan and the two daughters of Maria Garcia, he said.

“The money will be used to help raise and educate the children, who are, in reality, orphans because the father, if convicted, will be in prison for many years,” Castorena said.

At the news conference, Fajardo, who recently won temporary legal custody of her daughter’s children, pleaded for improvements in the 911 emergency system.

“I want the police to be a little more sensitive toward people who call them with an emergency,” Fajardo said. “If they don’t do something to improve the system there will be many more Marias.”

Sheriff Sherman Block could not be reached for comment. But in an earlier interview he strongly defended the actions of the 911 emergency dispatcher who turned down Maria Navarro’s request for help.

“The 911 system is not alive and well in Los Angeles,” Lopez said. “We feel that is due to a number of problems. One of them, we feel, is a lack of training among dispatchers in such areas as psychology and basic police enforcement methods, which would enable them to determine when danger is imminent.”