Civil jury returns verdict on Fresno officer who killed wanted man. Family wanted $6M
A federal jury decided Wednesday a Fresno police officer used reasonable force when he fatally shot a no-longer-armed man, his second deadly shooting in six months.
The jury unanimously agreed to knock down the lawsuit brought by the family of Raymond Angel Gonzalez, who was 34 when he was killed by officer Zebulon “Zeb” Price in 2016, U.S. Eastern District Court records show.
The family sought $6 million in damages from the city of Fresno, which was represented by Ferguson, Praet and Sherman.
Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz could not say Wednesday how much the city would pay in all for the outside representation, but said the city could seek reimbursement from the plaintiff.
Janz expressed satisfaction with the verdict. “The facts and the law were on our side,” he said in a written statement. “The jury could not have reached any other verdict.”
The court hearing began June 21 and wrapped up Wednesday morning, records show.
Price, who also fatally shot a mentally ill man in 2015, has since been promoted multiple times to lieutenant. In the previous shooting, Freddy Centeno, 40, was determined to be holding a black hose nozzle when Price and another officer, Felipe Miguel Lucero, shot him.
Raymond Gonzalez case
The family of Gonzalez released police body-worn camera video in 2019.
The video showed Price running after Gonzalez, who at one point discards a backpack. As Gonzalez runs down an alley, he tosses a gun onto a roof, but the gun lands on the ground.
At that point, Price fires one round at Gonzalez and misses him. Gonzalez tumbles to the ground, rolling over and sitting back up as Price shouts demands at him.
At one point Gonzalez puts his hands up while laying down, but he also moves his arms and brushes the gun. He continues to shift positions on the ground, briefly rolling onto the gun, while Price shouts demands.
Price fires the second round after Gonzalez reaches toward his waistband. The second round hits Gonzalez in the chest, fatally wounding him.
Price said he believed Gonzalez was reaching for a second gun in his pants.
The lawyer representing Gonzalez’s family previously noted when Gonzalez was shot he didn’t have a weapon in his hand. He argued there was no immediate danger to Price.
Police later determined Gonzalez had methamphetamine in his system and he had a gun in the backpack he had discarded. He was suspected of a shooting two weeks earlier, police said.
The Gonzalez family was disappointed with the jury’s decision, according to their attorney, Humberto Guizar.
He also noted the judge allowed the city to present information about Gonzalez’s prior criminal record in the case, though Price did not know any of it before shooting Gonzalez.
The judge did not allow him to tell the jury about Price’s earlier fatal shooting in 2015, Guizar said.
“The court also did not allow the plaintiff to show the video in slow motion to the jury,” he said in a written statement. “We believe the court’s rulings were in violation of existing Ninth Circuit case law. The plaintiff will be appealing the judgment.”
This story was originally published June 28, 2023 at 2:00 PM.
