Lawsuit: Long Beach Officers Not Properly Trained To Handle People With Mental Illnesses
The federal lawsuit was filed by the family of a mentally ill man who was fatally shot in December.
LA Daily News:
Family Of Mentally Ill Carson Man Fatally Shot By Long Beach Police Files Federal Lawsuit
The parents of a mentally ill man who died after a Long Beach police officer shot him at Looff’s Lite-A-Line gaming parlor in December announced Thursday they have filed a federal lawsuit against the city. The suit, which seeks punitive damages against Police Chief Robert Luna and the officers involved in the shooting, alleges the Long Beach Police Department failed to properly train officers to deal with people living with mental illnesses and that officers’ actions on the night of the shooting “escalated a peaceful encounter” and led to an unjustified use of deadly force. Mharloun Verdejo Saycon, 39, of Carson died after police shot him the night of Dec. 14. (Edwards, 7/28)
In other health care news from across the state —
Mercury News:
Did Drinking Too Much Water Contribute To De La Salle Grad's Death In Army Ranger Training?
The condition that may have caused the death this week of a former De La Salle High School quarterback who was training to become a U.S. Army Ranger has dogged the military branch for decades as it has grappled with heat-related illnesses and proper hydration for trainees. No cause of death has been determined for 2nd Lt. Michael Parros, 21, of Walnut Creek, who played on the vaunted Spartans football team in 2010 and 2011. He was hospitalized for hyponatremia Monday, his first day of the elite training in the sweltering heat at Fort Benning, Georgia, and died Wednesday. The condition can be caused by drinking too much water, which causes the body's level of sodium to become abnormally low. (Gafni, 7/29)
LA Times:
He Was Homeless — But To Get Help, The Rules Said He Had To Prove It
After being discharged from detox, Rory Gallegos had nowhere to go. So he made the street his home. A year later, he thought he had found a home when the Hillview Mental Health Center in Pacoima offered him an apartment with onsite mental health services. But to qualify for a voucher to pay for the room, Gallegos first had to prove that he was chronically homeless. He couldn’t produce the necessary documents. (Smith, 7/31)
Sacramento Bee:
Promises Kept: Girl Scout Troop’s Longevity Honors Leader Lost To Cancer
Modesto Girl Scout Troop 3380 always was, and always will be, “Kristen’s troop” – even now that its 12 members have graduated high school and are going their own ways into adulthood. ... Kristen Machado formed the troop in 2003 and led it for nine years. Seven of those, she also battled sarcoma cancer – a fight she lost Oct. 29, 2012, less than two weeks before her 40th birthday. Months before her death, as her Scouts were nearing the start of high school and some wanted to start work on the Girl Scout Silver Award, Machado’s energy was low and she turned to her friend [Joanne] Serpa for help. (Farrow, 7/30)