The short answer
Victims and families of police shootings in California can recover compensation for excessive force and civil rights violations. Claims against government entities require filing within six months under the Tort Claims Act. Consult a lawyer immediately to preserve evidence.
A police shooting changes a family in an instant. Whether your loved one survived with life-altering wounds or did not survive at all, you are left with grief, medical bills, and questions the department may be slow to answer. In Los Angeles County, shootings may involve the LAPD, the Sheriff's Department, or one of the many municipal departments, and each incident triggers internal reviews that are designed first to protect the agency.
California law sets a strict standard for deadly force. Since the passage of AB 392, officers may use deadly force only when it is necessary in defense of human life, and the totality of the circumstances, including the officer's own conduct leading up to the shooting, is considered. Federal law separately requires that any use of force be objectively reasonable. These standards give families real tools, but only if the evidence is preserved and analyzed carefully.
Before founding this firm, our attorney spent more than two decades fighting insurers for injured people. We have seen how defendants and their insurers evaluate serious-injury and death cases, how they use early narratives to shape public opinion and jury perceptions, and how they calculate risk. We bring that perspective to every police shooting case we accept.
Consultations are free and confidential, and you pay no attorney's fee unless we recover compensation for you. The deadline to file a claim against a public entity is generally six months, so please reach out as soon as you are able.
From the other side of the table
How the defense sees your claim
The first narrative is theirs
Departments often release an initial account emphasizing a perceived threat, such as a weapon, a sudden movement, or a vehicle used as a weapon. We treat that account as a claim to be tested, not a fact, and compare it against video, audio, and physical evidence.
They focus on the final second
Defense experts frequently analyze only the split second before shots were fired. California's standard considers the totality of the circumstances, including tactical decisions that created the danger. We reconstruct the full encounter from first contact.
They attack the person who was shot
Toxicology, criminal history, and mental health records are often used to shift blame. We work to keep the case focused on what the officers knew and did, and we challenge evidence that was unknown to them at the time.
They value the loss narrowly
In death cases, insurers often discount damages based on the decedent's income or history. California law recognizes the loss of love, companionship, and support, and we document the full relationship your family lost.
Why it happens
Common causes
Shootings of unarmed people
Cases where the person was unarmed, holding a phone or other object, or complying with commands raise serious questions about whether deadly force was necessary.
Shootings during mental health crises
Many fatal encounters begin as calls for help with someone in crisis. Failure to use de-escalation, time, distance, or crisis-trained responders may be relevant to liability.
Shooting at fleeing people
Deadly force against a person who is running or driving away is sharply limited under both federal and California law, particularly when the person poses no immediate threat to others.
Shots into moving vehicles
Firing into a car can endanger passengers and bystanders and is restricted by many department policies. We examine whether the officer stepped into the vehicle's path or had other options.
Bystander and passenger injuries
People who were never the target of police action, including passengers, neighbors, and passersby, can be struck by stray or ricocheting rounds.
Less-lethal weapons causing serious harm
Beanbag rounds, foam projectiles, and TASERs can cause permanent injuries or death when used at close range or on vulnerable areas of the body.
What we see
Injuries we handle
What you may recover
Compensation in a California claim
Medical and rehabilitation costs
Trauma surgery, hospitalization, rehabilitation, home modifications, and future care needs for survivors.
Lost earnings and financial support
Income the injured person can no longer earn, or in a death case, the financial support and household services the family has lost.
Pain, suffering, and emotional harm
Compensation for physical pain, trauma, and diminished quality of life for survivors.
Loss of love, companionship, and guidance
In a wrongful death case, eligible family members may recover for the loss of the relationship, including love, comfort, and guidance.
Funeral costs and civil rights remedies
Funeral and burial expenses, and in civil rights cases, potential punitive damages against individual officers and reasonable attorney's fees where the law allows.
The rules that apply
California law you should know
California deadly force standard
An officer may use deadly force only when the officer reasonably believes, based on the totality of the circumstances, that it is necessary to defend against an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury, or in narrow circumstances to apprehend a fleeing person. This standard was amended by AB 392.
Penal Code § 835a
Deadly force on fleeing suspects
The Supreme Court held that deadly force may not be used to prevent the escape of a fleeing suspect unless the officer has probable cause to believe the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury.
Tennessee v. Garner (1985) 471 U.S. 1
Objective reasonableness
All claims that officers used excessive force during a seizure are analyzed under the Fourth Amendment's objective reasonableness standard.
Graham v. Connor (1989) 490 U.S. 386
Claim and filing deadlines
A personal injury or death claim against a public entity generally must be presented within six months, and suit usually must follow within six months of a written rejection.
Gov. Code §§ 911.2, 945.6
General information, not legal advice. Deadlines and rules depend on the facts of your case, so talk to an attorney promptly.
Right now
Protect your claim
Evidence to gather
- Any video recorded by you, family members, or bystanders
- Names and phone numbers of witnesses at the scene
- The coroner's or medical examiner's report and autopsy records
- Hospital and trauma center records
- Clothing and personal property returned by the department
- Public statements and press releases issued by the agency
- Photos of the scene taken as soon as possible
- Documents showing the decedent's income, relationships, and family role
Mistakes insurers count on
- Speaking with department investigators or the agency's insurer without a lawyer
- Waiting for the internal or District Attorney review to finish before contacting counsel
- Posting video or commentary online before it has been preserved and reviewed
- Signing releases or accepting payments from any agency
- Assuming the six-month government claim deadline will be extended
Step by step
How we handle your case
- 1
Meet with the family
We meet with you privately, explain the process in plain terms, and identify who has legal standing to bring claims on behalf of the injured person or the estate.
- 2
Lock down the evidence
We demand preservation of body-worn and in-car video, radio traffic, 911 calls, the weapons involved, and forensic evidence, and we canvass for private cameras before footage is overwritten.
- 3
Retain independent experts
Where appropriate, we work with independent experts in areas such as use-of-force practices, forensic pathology, and scene reconstruction.
- 4
Protect every deadline
We file government claims with each involved public entity within the six-month window and monitor rejection notices and the time to sue.
- 5
Pursue accountability in court
We bring claims under federal and California law and prepare each case for trial, while pursuing a fair resolution when the defense is willing to offer one.
From the Case Vault
Related results
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different and must be evaluated on its own facts.
Straight answers
Frequently asked questions
Under California law, certain family members, typically a spouse or domestic partner, children, and in some situations parents or other dependents, may bring a wrongful death claim. The decedent's estate may also bring claims for violations of the decedent's own rights. Standing rules differ between state and federal claims, so we review your family structure carefully at the start.
Civil Rights & Emerging Harms