LOS ANGELES : Jury Exonerates LAPD Officer in Fatal Shooting
A jury decided Monday that a Los Angeles police officer did not use excessive force when he fatally shot a 22-year-old man during a struggle over a gun.
The verdict exonerated Officer Daniel Campbell in the Oct. 22, 1990, death of Los Angeles resident Anthony Hood. But Gary S. Casselman, who represents Hood’s family, told U.S. District Judge Matthew Byrne that he may pursue a claim that some Police Department policies are flawed and that the city should be held liable for Hood’s death.
Casselman said Campbell shot at Hood’s mid-body area, with the bullet striking Hood in the heart, even though the officer’s gun was only half an inch from the body. “(Police policy) doesn’t tell (officers) that they shouldn’t shoot for the heart when they (are so close) and can wound a felon,” Casselman said.
Byrne set a July 28 hearing if Casselman decides to pursue a claim against the city.
The jury determined unanimously that Campbell did not violate Hood’s civil rights when he shot the suspect.
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