Hawthorne Is Sued Over Death

The mother of a psychiatric patient whom police killed near his home has filed a wrongful-death complaint against the city of Hawthorne.

The complaint alleges that police used “unreasonable, unnecessary and deadly force” against Terence Williams, 20, who was shot five times and died in a July 1 confrontation in which two officers suffered facial injuries. Williams was unarmed.

The shooting is being investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which handles homicide cases for the Hawthorne police. The names of the officers involved have not been released.

Williams, who suffered from schizophrenia, had escaped from Harbor-UCLA Medical Center a few hours before his death, allegedly after he assaulted a guard there. Williams had entered the hospital earlier in the day for a 72-hour evaluation.

The complaint, which seeks no specific amount in damages, was filed on behalf of Williams’ mother, Loretta Brown, 44.

It alleges that the city of Hawthorne as the officers’ employer, “knew or should have known” that the officers involved in the confrontation “had propensities for violence and for abusing their authority.”