Mistrial is declared in shooting suit

The judge in a Pasadena police shooting lawsuit declared a mistrial Wednesday after an attorney showed graphic autopsy photos while the victim’s mother was in the courtroom.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Kenneth R. Freeman said the attorney, Bradley C. Gage, disregarded his warning not to show the photos during closing arguments Tuesday.

Gage, who had filed the civil suit on behalf of the woman’s 3-year-old daughter, said he strongly disagreed with the judge’s ruling.

The lawsuit, which was set for retrial Oct. 15, stemmed from the September 2006 shooting of 21-year-old Erica Hindman by Pasadena Police Officer Timothy Bundy.

Bundy, who had answered a report that someone had shot at a group of people, fired into a moving car because he said a man in the car raised an arm and appeared to be pointing a gun at him.

-- Jean Merl