wrongful death

What is the name of your state?I live in california,My brother inlaw was shot 5 times in the back by the South Gate PD. my sister needs help to find out what happened as it was just up the street where they lived.she is unable to get a police report or a corroner report.
they say she needs a lawyer but none call her back to say yes or no if they can help her.she was not let to talk to any of the people who wittnessed the shooting.it happened on the steps of a church just up the street from there house.what are our options to get something done.thank you.

If this is the situation it is too soon for any reports to be available, perhaps if she contacts the newspapers they can give her some information
From the LA Times 1-6-6

n another incident, a man was shot and killed Sunday by South Gate police after he allegedly charged at them with a knife outside a church in the 3000 block of Liberty Boulevard.

Police were called to the church, Betel Iglesia Presbiteriana, about 11 a.m. Sunday by parishioners who said a man waving a knife had created a disturbance during a service. The officers saw the man outside the church and asked him to surrender the knife, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Oscar Butao said.

The suspect charged the officers, who fired, hitting him several times. The man, who has not been identified, died at the scene, Butao said.

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also
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/01/01/state/n210154S74.DTL

http://www.kget.com/news/state/story.aspx?content_id=CF76880C-83EC-4526-96B2-7E81166CDD05
Police shoot man who allegedly disturbed church with knife
SOUTH GATE, Calif. (AP) - Police shot and killed a man they say was wielding a knife and disturbing a church service in South Gate this morning.

Police say they shot the man after he failed to give up the weapon and charged at them.

A witness told passing officers about the disturbance inside a church with about 30 worshippers just before 11 a-m today.

The officers found the man outside the church. He died at the scene, and authorities say they later recovered a knife.

No officers were injured.

rmet4nzkx said:

If this is the situation it is too soon for any reports to be available, perhaps if she contacts the newspapers they can give her some information
From the LA Times 1-6-6

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If this is the op bro-inlaw...it does not seem like a wrongful shooting...very sad though...

baystategirl said:

If this is the op bro-inlaw...it does not seem like a wrongful shooting...very sad though...

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Sounds ike suicide by cop or drug related

rmet4nzkx said:

Sounds ike suicide by cop or drug related

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Suicide by cop was just what I thought when I read the news artical...really it is very sad...

lolozano said:

What is the name of your state?I live in california,My brother inlaw was shot 5 times in the back by the South Gate PD. my sister needs help to find out what happened as it was just up the street where they lived.she is unable to get a police report or a corroner report.
they say she needs a lawyer but none call her back to say yes or no if they can help her.she was not let to talk to any of the people who wittnessed the shooting.it happened on the steps of a church just up the street from there house.what are our options to get something done.thank you.

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An attorney is her best option.

She does not have a right to the police reports. She also does not have a right to the coroner's report so long as there is an active investigation of the shooting; and as is policy with most agencies, a multi-agency review - including the DA's office - will be conducted prior to the matter being closed.

She also has no right to question witnesses. If she files a civil suit, her attorney can call witnesses for depositions and reports can be received via subpoena, but I'm thinking she doesn't have much of a suit. Her best hope might be "go away" money from the city ... this is the amount that it would cost the city to go to court even if they should prevail. They often choose to pay this to the plaintiff as part of an out of court settlement. But what Southgate will do is anyone's guess.

- Carl

This is very sad indeed.

As emotional as a tragedy of this nature is, try to keep yourself focused on discovering the truth and don't put too much faith in the rumors you will hear.

If he was actually shot in the back as you are claiming and nowhere else, the reported information (that he was charging them) doesn't suggest that. However, it doesn't sound like you could know for sure where he was struck or how many times if you weren't able to get information from the police, coroner or speak to anyone who witnessed the shooting.

It is possible for someone to be hit in the back, after he has been hit in an area that caused him to spin as additional shots were being fired. There is no way of guessing what happened, so try to have patience until the truth is revealed. The best thing you can do at this point is to support your family and keep everyone calm until the true facts of the situation are known.

Good luck and again, I'm sorry for your loss