José de la Trinidad, who works at the Costco store in Culver City, was shot multiple times in the back by deputies assigned to the Compton station on Nov. 10 after returning from his niece’s quinceañera party at approximately 10: 20 p.m. after a chase with the deputies. De la Trinidad was a passenger in the car driven by his brother.
The family is seeking $15 million in their wrongful death civil rights suit.
Arnoldo Cassillas, the attorney who is representing the victim’s family, called the deputies “trigger happy.”
“Without cause or provocation, the deputies fired their handguns at Jose de La Trinidad as he stood with his hands raised above his head,” the lawsuit states. “The shooting was unreasonable and unjustified.”
According to the county coroner’s autopsy report, struck De la Trinidad was struck by bullets five times in the upper and lower back.
Sheriff’s authorities claim the deputies fired on de la Trinidad because they suspected the unarmed man of reaching for a weapon.
An internal investigation is being conducted on the deputies conduct, said sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore.
De la Trinidad’s shooting sparked a public protest in Compton and was the latest political headache for Sheriff Lee Baca, who was contending at the time with allegation of deputies beating prisoners in county jails.
A federal probe and the county recently hired Terri McDonald to oversee the nation’s largest jail system.
