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Kelly Thomas verdict: Family wants officers to face federal charges

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A supporter falls to the ground crying at a memorial at “Kelly’s Corner” after two former Fullerton police officers were found not guilty of murder in the 2011 death of transient Kelly Thomas in Fullerton.   (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Kathy Thomas, mother of Kelly Thomas, receives a hug from a supporter in front of a memorial at “Kelly’s Corner.”  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters march outside the Fullerton police station after two former officers were acquitted in the killing of Kelly Thomas.   (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Friends, family and supporters stand at “Kelly’s Corner” on Monday night after two former Fullerton police officers were found not guilty of the murder of Kelly Thomas.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Ron and Kathy Thomas embrace outside the Santa Ana Courthouse Monday after two Fullerton police officers were found not guilty in the murder of their son Kelly.   (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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As supporters hug, Kathy Thomas sits in a chair outside the Santa Ana Courthouse on Monday after two Fullerton police officers were found not guilty in the murder of her son Kelly.   (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Ron Thomas, the father of slain Kelly Thomas, hugs Marlena Carrillo outside the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana after the arraignment hearing.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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A supporter of Kelly’s Army pays his respects at the site in Fullerton where Kelly Thomas was involved in an altercation with police that led to his death.  (Barbara Davidson / The Los Angeles Times)
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Members of Kelly’s Army chant “two down four to go” outside the Fullerton Police Department after two officers were charged in connection with the death of Kelly Thomas. Thomas, a schizophrenic, homeless man, died five days after an altercation with police.  (Barbara Davidson / The Los Angeles Times)
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Charlotte Cianciola of Buena Park gets emotional as the District Attorney announces that criminal charges have been filed against two of the six Fullerton police officers involved in the beating death of Kelly Thomas.  (GIna Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Orange County Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas at the news conference in Santa Ana where he announced charges would be brought against two Fullerton police officers in the death of Kelly Thomas.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Christine Walker, center, of Fullerton, joins a crowd outside the Santa Ana civic center watching a TV broadcast of Orange County Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas’ news conference.  (GIna Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Staff members listen as their boss Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas addresses a press conference announcing charges against two Fullerton police officers for the beating death of 37-year-old homeless man Kelly Thomas.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Larry Dewitt Williams, 56, gathers with other supporters in front of the Orange County district attorney’s office to show support for Kelly Thomas’ family.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Ron Thomas embraces Susan Wright after she delivered an emotional plea to the Fullerton City Council for better treatment of the mentally ill. Thomas and hundreds of supporters attended the meeting hours after the release of the coroner’s report on the death of his son, Kelly, at the hands of Fullerton police.   (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Fullerton City Council member Sharon Quirk-Silva, left, and Fullerton resident Erin Lewis, right, comfort Cathy Thomas after the council voted to retain an outside investigator to look into the death of Thomas’ son, Kelly, after a confrontation with Fullerton police.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
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Cathy Thomas visits a memorial for her son Kelly at the Fullerton Transportation Center. She stops there several times a week to water the flowers and talk to people who pass by.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
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Fullerton Police Captain Kevin Hamilton, above, was named acting chief of police after Chief Michael Sellers went on medical leave in the wake of the death of Kelly Thomas in July.  (Mark Boster/ Los Angeles Times)
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People outside the Fullerton police station protest the death of Kelly Thomas.  (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
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Gary Tayles, 45, of Los Angeles joins a group outside the Fullerton police station protesting the death of Kelly Thomas.  (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
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Cathy Thomas, left, shakes hands with Fullerton police officers who barricaded a street to make room for a demonstration protesting the beating and death of Kelly Thomas.  (Alex Gallardo / Associated Press)
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Fullerton Police Chief Michael Sellers talks with the city attorney before a City Council meeting. Many residents have called for him to resign.  (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
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An overflow crowd watches a TV monitor outside City Council chambers as the public voices outrage over the death of Kelly Thomas, 37, a schizophrenic homeless man who was killed during an altercation with Fullerton police on July 5.  (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
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An impromptu sidewalk memorial has been set up for Kelly Thomas, 37, a homeless schizophrenic man who died five days after a run-in with Fullerton police in early July at a bus depot off South Pomona Avenue.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Passersby stop to read notes left at a memorial for Kelly Thomas.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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A woman holds a drawing of a police officer behind bars as Ron Thomas asks the Fullerton City Council for answers about his son Kelly’s death. Residents packed the council chambers and an overflow area for the Aug. 2 meeting.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Fullerton resident Michelle Kearney hugs Ron Thomas, father of Kelly Thomas. Residents packed the City Council chambers and an overflow area to express their outrage over the police beating of Kelly Thomas, who later died.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Cathy Thomas, mother of Kelly Thomas, listens to public comment during the Fullerton City Council meeting.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Residents stand and applaud as Ron Thomas is given more time to speak to the City Council about the police beating and subsequent death of his son, Kelly Thomas, last month.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
By Adolfo Flores, Paloma Esquivel and Emily Foxhall
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Two former Fullerton police officers were found not guilty Monday in the beating death of Kelly Thomas and charges against a third officer will be dropped.

Family and supporters of the homeless schizophrenic man, who died after a violent 2011 altercation with police, are now hoping federal authorities will step in.

Ron Thomas, Kelly’s father and a former sheriff’s deputy, said he hoped that the U.S. Justice Department would file federal charges against the officers. The FBI had been investigating and monitoring the case.

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“I’ve never seen something so bad happen to a human being, and have it done by on-duty police officers,” Thomas said. “And they can walk away scot-free.”

Laura Eimiller, a spokeswoman for the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, said the agency opened a civil rights investigation into the case in 2011. Now that the state court trial has concluded, she said, “investigators will examine the evidence and testimony to determine if further investigation is warranted at the federal level.”

The verdict came after nearly three weeks of testimony from 25 witnesses in an often-packed Santa Ana courtroom. At the heart of the trial was the 33-minute surveillance video, synced with audio from recorders worn by officers.

Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, who prosecuted the case himself, said the trial was fair.

“I would do the same thing again,” he said. “I think it’s a matter that the jury had to see.”

After the jury returned the not guilty verdict -- after about eight hours of deliberation -- Rackauckas said he would not continue to pursue a case against Officer Joseph Wolfe, who was charged with involuntary manslaughter.

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Monday night, dozens of people gathered at the Fullerton transit depot not far from where Kelly Thomas was beaten by police in the summer of 2011.

More protests and vigils were expected Tuesday and over the weekend.

Curtis Gamble, 53, who is homeless, said many of his friends witnessed the beating.

“They didn’t get a chance to testify,” Gamble said.

He recalled sleeping on benches at the station and waking to see Thomas sifting through trash cans at the site.

Some of the approximately 100 people who gathered at the site, known as “Kelly’s corner,” were crying. Others waved signs that said “No More Killer Cops” and “Change 4 Justice.”

Near a memorial lighted by candles, people signed a guest book. Among those in the crowd was Thomas’ mother, Cathy.

“To know all of these people are out here still supporting us means a lot,” she said, her eyes teary. “It seems like everybody we talk to was in agreement: It was murder.”

paloma.esquivel@latimes.com

adolfo.flores@latimes.com

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Adolfo Flores

Adolfo Flores is a former reporter for the Los Angeles Times. He previously covered Orange County for the Metro section. Flores had reported for the Pasadena Sun and Pasadena Star-News, where he was a City Hall and public safety reporter. He was awarded a fellowship by the Metlife Foundation in Aging Fellows Program in 2010 and a second-place Los Angeles Press Club award for news feature in 2013. A Los Angeles native, Flores graduated from Cal State Northridge and is a fluent Spanish writer and speaker.

Paloma Esquivel

Paloma Esquivel is a reporter for the Los Angeles Times. She was on the team that won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for public service for investigating corruption in the city of Bell and the team that won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news for coverage of the San Bernardino terror attack. Prior to joining The Times in 2007, she was a freelance writer, worked in Spanish-language radio and was an occasional substitute teacher. A Southern California native, she graduated from UC Berkeley and has a master’s in journalism from Syracuse University.

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