Sheriff’s Dept. Sued for $1 Billion in Death; Racketeering Law Invoked
A lawyer for the family of a bystander accidentally shot to death last year by a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy filed a $1-billion civil lawsuit against the Sheriff’s Department on Friday, accusing it of being a “continuing criminal enterprise” engaged in a form of racketeering against African-Americans.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the estate of Gianna Blue and 17 other plaintiffs under the federal Racketeer-Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), alleges that the Sheriff’s Department engages in a persistent pattern of endangering the lives of black people and ignoring their civil rights.
A Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman said department officials would not comment on the lawsuit until they have a chance to read it.
Blue, an African-American mother of four, was killed May 15 on her 30th birthday as she shopped for birthday party supplies at the the E&W; Liquor store on Century Boulevard in South Los Angeles. Two deputies outside the store fired a barrage of gunfire inside at a suspect they said was pointing a gun at them.
The suspect survived 12 gunshot wounds. Blue died of a gunshot to the chest. Witnesses said the suspect had dropped the gun outside.
The 17 other plaintiffs in the lawsuit are the store owner, employees and others who were inside when the shooting occurred.
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