Claims Filed Against Police in Shooting Death of Boy, 17

Parents of a 17-year-old youth who was shot to death by Montebello police Jan. 1 filed legal claims against the city Monday.

“I’m not ready to forgive. I’ll never forget,” the boy’s father, Anthony Mosqueda Sr., told reporters in front of Montebello City Hall.

Anthony Mosqueda Jr. died after being shot by a Montebello police officer on South Spruce Street. Police said the youth pointed a rifle at two officers who had seen him beat on the window of an occupied car and chase the vehicle while armed.

Attorneys for the parents said the youth was unarmed and was shot in the back. The family says that Mosqueda had been in a scuffle with occupants of the car and that its driver tried to run him over. A lawyer for the boy’s father said the youth was fleeing the car and was shot by police while climbing a wall.

The boy’s mother and daughter seek $25 million in a wrongful death claim, a precursor to a lawsuit. Lawyers for Irma Hernandez and 2-year-old Airicka Mosqueda accused authorities of a cover-up and called for a coroner’s inquest.

A separate claim was filed by Anthony Mosqueda Sr., who is divorced from the youth’s mother. The elder Mosqueda said his son had never been in trouble with police.

Police Chief Steve Simonian declined to discuss details but said his officers acted properly. Simonian said a weapon was found and the wound was consistent with the officers’ accounts of the incident.

He said the matter remains under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Mosqueda’s representatives were joined by relatives of Richard D. Beaty, 21, who was shot to death by a Montebello police officer two years ago. A federal civil rights lawsuit filed by Beaty’s family is scheduled for trial May 3. A sheriff’s investigation found no wrongdoing by police.