Fresno family prevails in fatal police shooting case. City will pay millions in settlement
Two years after a jury awarded millions to the family of a man shot and killed by a Fresno police officer, the family will finally receive the money.
The city of Fresno dropped its appeal and agreed to settle the case and pay the family of Casimero “Shane” Casillas $4.4 million, said Bill Schmidt, the Fresno attorney representing the family.
Schmidt said the settlement was best for all involved.
“While we believe we would’ve prevailed and the city would’ve been liable for significantly more money, the longer the family has to do without the financial support of their father, the harder it is on them,” Schmidt said.
The Casillas family sued the city over their father’s death, alleging Officer Trevor Shipman violated Casillas’ civil rights by using excessive force when he confronted him on Sept. 7, 2015.
Shipman shot Casillas three times in the early-evening hours after what began as a traffic stop escalated into a confrontation between Shipman and Casillas at an east-central Fresno home. Shipman testified he fired his weapon at Casillas after he rushed toward him with a 2-foot-long metal pipe.
In March 2019, a federal jury awarded the family $4.7 million.
Attorneys representing the city filed an appeal after also seeking a new trial. Attorneys for the city argued several errors took place during the five-day jury trial in U.S. District Court, including juror misconduct, excessive damages awarded to the family and the failure to give proper jury instructions. A federal judge denied those claims.
This story was originally published April 1, 2021 at 4:10 PM.