standing at a city bus stop and my father was shot and killed

[JulieL]

ARIZONA, But incident took place in CA

On 3/27/06 my father was standing at a city bus stop and was shot and killed. I've acquired about 20 newspaper articles on the incident which have not only revealed many inconsistencies, but have also lead me to question the Police Department and the Sheriff's Department on the specific details of my father's violent death. The police said it was not a "drive-by shooting" and the Sheriff's office report states that it was indeed a drive-by shooting. The sheriff's department has recently merged with the coroner's office which brings me to another issue. Following my providing the sheriff/coroner's office with some "Release" form which basically confirmed that I was next of kin, decision-maker, etc. the Sheriff Deputy from the coroner's office released my father's personal property(id, wallet, keys, glasses, and clothing) to my Uncle whom had no right whatsoever to receive it. The deputy denies any wrong-doing since he ("in good faith") handed the property over to the funeral home's driver(my "agent") and the driver gave the property to the wrong party. So, the deputy says that I should take that issue up with the funeral home. Of course the funeral home denies and says just the opposite. I believe it was the coroner's/sheriff's duty to hold my father's property in trust, but I'm not sure.

More importantly, there are other details surrounding my father's death that lead me to distrust the government's account of who may really be responsible for my father's death. Just yesterday, I spoke with the lead detective in charge of the investigation for the third time since the incident. I have been keeping records of our communications which have not corroborated with other stories.

Also, I've noticed that many of the newspaper stories make it clear that the shootings happened on the same day that the mayor promoted a new chief of police and repeatedly described the crime scene as being located in a "blighted area that is targeted for a major dowmtown redevelopment project."

The police have said that my father was found dead at the scene right at the bus stop. One of the first newspaper stories state that one man was found near the restaurant and one in a nearby field.

I apologize for this long message, but I am in desperate need for some answers here and I don't know where to turn. The DA's office referred me to a victim's advocate who thankfully assisted my brother and I financially for the funeral costs. However, this so-called victim's advocate approved the financial assistance for the funeral and that was it, she hasn't once called me with any updates on the case. I guess I cannot really expect her to take much of a personal interest here, although she could have shown a little more concern and support for my feelings. Anyways, I have been in close contact with the same detective on the case and previously the sheriff's office. My only source of info concerning my father's death comes from one person, the detective, who provides me with quick and unclarified responses which have served no purpose, in my opinion.

Most importantly, I would very much appreciate anyone's input here on my situation. My father was only 50 years old, an AirForce veteran, and a gentle soul who did not deserve to die this way.
Julie

[seniorjudge]

Originally Posted by JulieL

ARIZONA, But incident took place in CA

On 3/27/06 my father was standing at a city bus stop and was shot and killed. I've acquired about 20 newspaper articles on the incident which have not only revealed many inconsistencies, but have also lead me to question the Police Department and the Sheriff's Department on the specific details of my father's violent death. The police said it was not a "drive-by shooting" and the Sheriff's office report states that it was indeed a drive-by shooting. The sheriff's department has recently merged with the coroner's office which brings me to another issue. Following my providing the sheriff/coroner's office with some "Release" form which basically confirmed that I was next of kin, decision-maker, etc. the Sheriff Deputy from the coroner's office released my father's personal property(id, wallet, keys, glasses, and clothing) to my Uncle whom had no right whatsoever to receive it. The deputy denies any wrong-doing since he ("in good faith") handed the property over to the funeral home's driver(my "agent") and the driver gave the property to the wrong party. So, the deputy says that I should take that issue up with the funeral home. Of course the funeral home denies and says just the opposite. I believe it was the coroner's/sheriff's duty to hold my father's property in trust, but I'm not sure.

More importantly, there are other details surrounding my father's death that lead me to distrust the government's account of who may really be responsible for my father's death. Just yesterday, I spoke with the lead detective in charge of the investigation for the third time since the incident. I have been keeping records of our communications which have not corroborated with other stories.

Also, I've noticed that many of the newspaper stories make it clear that the shootings happened on the same day that the mayor promoted a new chief of police and repeatedly described the crime scene as being located in a "blighted area that is targeted for a major dowmtown redevelopment project."

The police have said that my father was found dead at the scene right at the bus stop. One of the first newspaper stories state that one man was found near the restaurant and one in a nearby field.

I apologize for this long message, but I am in desperate need for some answers here and I don't know where to turn. The DA's office referred me to a victim's advocate who thankfully assisted my brother and I financially for the funeral costs. However, this so-called victim's advocate approved the financial assistance for the funeral and that was it, she hasn't once called me with any updates on the case. I guess I cannot really expect her to take much of a personal interest here, although she could have shown a little more concern and support for my feelings. Anyways, I have been in close contact with the same detective on the case and previously the sheriff's office. My only source of info concerning my father's death comes from one person, the detective, who provides me with quick and unclarified responses which have served no purpose, in my opinion.

Most importantly, I would very much appreciate anyone's input here on my situation. My father was only 50 years old, an AirForce veteran, and a gentle soul who did not deserve to die this way.
Julie

What questions do you have of us that we could answer?

[JulieL]

Would it be possible to sue the City government for negligence since my father was killed at a city bus stop?

[seniorjudge]

Q: Would it be possible to sue the City government for negligence since my father was killed at a city bus stop?

A: Yes. Would you win? Never.

[ecmst12]

Government/police can not be held liable for failing to prevent a crime, even if they knew when and where it was going to happen and were unable to prevent it, let alone if it was a random act of violence.

The police/DA do not have to keep you informed about the case, you are not a part of it (unless you were a witness, and even then they would want to tell you as little as possible). Be aware that the papers are not going to have the full story. But they're really not supposed to talk to anyone about an investigation in progress. I hope they arrest the guilty party and he/she goes to prison for a long, long time, but if they figure out who did it, I expect you'll find out at the same time the rest of the world does - after the arrest is made. Hopefully they'd let you know before you have to learn it from the papers.

[tryingtoplease]

I'm sorry for your sudden loss. It sucks. It's been relatively soon (as far as investigations/proceedings go) but I know how anxious you are for answers. My brother inn law was murdered in San Jose in 1993 & things were finally resolved in 1996 (murderer found not guilty by reason of insanity). It drove us crazy in the beginning not knowing what was going on. TV news kept showing his body over & over with the lead in "News at 6 & 11". Newspaper rarely got facts right, so I wouldn't rely so much on that. Hopefully they'll find the killer but you should usually be prepared for a long time before justice is brought. Good luck!

[john123456]

The police/DA do not have to keep you informed about the case.

That's true, but it shouldn't prevent the OP from hounding the authorities for updates.

Be aware that the papers are not going to have the full story. But they're really not supposed to talk to anyone about an investigation in progress.

Huh?