The family of a teenager who died last year in a police-involved shooting in Glendale, Arizona, is filing a negligence lawsuit against the officer involved, and the Glendale Police Department. The lawsuit, filed on Thursday, June 11, alleges wrongful death of 17-year-old Levy Isaac Madueno Santibanez, and excessive force.
Santibanez’s grandparents, who are his legal guardians, accuses the officer of using excessive force on the boy. Court documents show that GPD Officer Dylan Ansell, on October 13, 2019, shot the teenager three times in the back, with a rifle issued by the GPD. The plaintiffs demand answers as to why the officer shot the teenager and a police report.
The shooting occurred just before 3 a.m. on the said day, while officers were responding to complaints of shots fired in the area of 67th Avenue and Northern. GPD reported at the time that approximately 60 shots came from an illegal party with about 200 people in attendance. Most of the attendees, like Santibanez, were teenagers and young adults.
Police believe some of the shots fired came from Santibanez. Footage of the incident showed the officer approaching the location in a patrol car, with several gunshots heard in the background. In a statement, Ansell claimed he saw the teenager aiming a handgun inside the business yard.
The GPD failed to clarify if Santibanez pulled his weapon before Ansell shot him. Court papers, however, show that a loaded gun was found in the boy’s remains. The plaintiffs, represented by Attorney Charles J. Slack-Mendez, claims that although the boy was armed when the shooting happened, the weapon was in his waistband.
The lawsuit alleges that the victim shot no one, nor did he pose a threat to Ansell, the community, or any of the officers at the time. Slack-Mendez accuses the officer of portraying actions considered negligent, unreasonable, and reckless, which resulted in the loss of life.
He is pushing for the release of the police report, and answers to why Ansell fired shots at Santibanez while he purportedly had his back turned.
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