Gardena police finally release video of bad police shooting

Screen grab from video posted at LATimes.com

Two years ago, Gardena police shot two unarmed men mistakenly thought to be bicycle theft suspects. Ricardo Diaz Zeferino, one of those shot, died. His family and the city settled a lawsuit for $4.7 million, but the city of Gardena resisted releasing video recorded in the police car cameras. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson ordered the videos released, saying the public had even more of an interest in seeing the video because of the city's settlement. The Los Angeles Times, which sought the video's release, put a 30-second ad on the front of the video and posted it on the paper's website.

From the story:

The “defendants' argument backfires here — the fact that they spent the city's money, presumably derived from taxes, only strengthens the public's interest in seeing the videos,” Wilson wrote. “Moreover, while the videos are potentially upsetting and disturbing because of the events they depict, they are not overly gory or graphic in a way that would make them a vehicle for improper purposes.”

The judge’s decision was a response to a request from the Los Angeles Times, the Associated Press and Bloomberg, which challenged a blanket protective order that had prevented the release of the videos and other evidence in the court case….

After ordering the videos to be released, Wilson denied a request from Gardena attorneys that he set aside his order as they pursued an appeal of his decision. The city then filed an emergency motion with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, asking it to intervene.

The Times, meanwhile, received copies of the videos from court officials. After The Times published the videos online, 9th Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski issued an order that “the police car camera video footage shall remain under seal pending further order of this court.”

Gardena Police Chief Ed Medrano released a statement late Tuesday describing the shooting as “tragic for all involved.”