The family of a 15-year-old boy who was shot and wounded by a Los Angeles police officer in May has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city.
In the lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court, the mother of Jamar Nicholson, 15, and the father of another teen present during the shooting allege that officers violated their sons’ civil rights by using excessive force in the Feb. 10 incident.
At the time, LAPD defended the officers who were involved, saying that the shooting occurred after officers caught a glimpse of someone pointing a gun at another person in a South L.A. alley. The department said an officer fired when the person did not obey orders to drop the weapon and turn toward officers.
The gun turned out to be a realistic-looking toy replica with an orange-colored tip at the end of the barrel. The LAPD also acknowledged that the teenager who was shot wasn’t the one holding the replica gun.
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