Court papers identify Pasadena officers who shot and killed parolee

Two Pasadena police officers, whose names were kept secret after they shot and killed a parolee last year, were identified this week in federal court papers filed by an attorney representing the dead man’s family.

The officers who fatally shot 38-year-old Leroy Barnes Jr. during a traffic stop were identified as Charles Glen Reep and Michael Alvarado. Wednesday’s filing, by attorney Edi M.O. Faal, came in a wrongful-death lawsuit brought by Barnes’ family in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

Faal said Reep and Alvarado appeared for a deposition in the case and identified themselves as the officers involved in the shooting.

The officers’ union has fought the release of their names, arguing that the disclosure was a violation of state law protecting the personnel information of peace officers. Additionally, attorneys for the union argued that the officers’ safety might be in jeopardy if their identities became public. A state court granted a temporary order barring the city’s release of the names. The Times has intervened in that case, contesting the order.

In a hearing earlier this year on the question of identifying the officers in court records in the family’s lawsuit, federal Magistrate Judge Patrick J. Walsh indicated that he believed the public had a right to know the officers’ identities.

“I can’t imagine another case where the public is more interested in and more entitled to know,” he said, according to a court transcript.

The Times reported the officers’ identities in February, citing law enforcement records. Nonetheless the Pasadena police union has continued its litigation to block the city from officially releasing the names. The court order remains in effect pending a hearing on the matter.

Pasadena Police Cmdr. Mike Korpal declined to discuss the filing, saying the department was still under the judge’s order. Representatives of the police union did not respond to a request for comment.

Barnes’ shooting led to criticism from residents in northwest Pasadena because several shots were fired into his back as he lay face-down on the ground. Police said Barnes was a gang member and was armed with a gun.

victoria.kim@latimes.com