The family of a 19 -year -old man killed by Fullerton police announced on Wednesday April 2, that they had made a legal complaint against the city demanding transparency and justice for what they believe to be an unjustified shooting.
The complaint requests unpertified damages, said family prosecutor Michael Carrillo at a press conference in front of the town hall in Fullerton on Wednesday morning. A complaint is generally a required forerunner before a trial can be brought against a government agency.
But the family demanded transparency and called Fullerton’s police service to release worn camera images and other relevant images of the mortal shooting on March 15. They also called the Office General Rob Bonta to investigate the shooting, saying that the suspect, Pedro Garcia, was not armed.
But the department, in a statement provided to a journalist after the press conference, said that the Orange County District Prosecutor Bureau rang in survey because Garcia was armed.
“According to the law of the State, we will publish relevant videos, recordings and images via an information video of the critical incident community within 45 days of the incident,” the statement said.
Fullerton police were called around 11:50 p.m. on March 15 in a house in the 700 block of avenue West Orangethorpe after a man called and said that his brother had a knife and had swung him to his father, police said in a press release after the shooting involved by the officer.
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Gabriela Ordones Campos, mother of Pedro Garcia, reacts at a press conference in front of the town hall of Fullerton in Fullerton, California, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. The lawyers announced the filing of a legal complaint against the city after Pedro Garcia was shot by the county of Fullerton / Scng).
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Gabriela Ordones Campos, mother of Pedro Garcia, reacts at a press conference in front of the town hall of Fullerton in Fullerton, California, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. The lawyers announced the filing of a legal complaint against the city after Pedro Garcia was shot by the county of Fullerton / Scng).
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When they arrived, Garcia was found outside the house on a sidewalk, but did not cooperate when he gave orders, the SGT. Billy Phu told the Freelance Press Organization Oc Hawk. Police said they tried to master man with less than fatal strength, but at some point, Garcia would have suddenly raised his shirt and removed what looked like a Smith & Wesson handgun, which prompted the police to open fire.
The weapon turned out to be a pellet pistol; Police released a photo of the pellet pistol in their statement after the shooting.
Family members said the police had shot Garcia some 30 times, including after he had fallen to the ground. They also said that when the police arrived, they told the police that they had taken the knife of him and that he was no longer armed.
Carrillo, the lawyer, said Wednesday that the family challenged the version of the events in the department and had called to the department to publish a relevant video and carry out a DNA test on the lead pistol to determine if Garcia had really touched it. Carrillo ceased to say that the police planned the replica of firearms on the scene.
Lawyers also claim, citing relationships of family members, neighbors and passers -by, that Garcia had their hands raised when he was shot, with Luis Carrillo, another lawyer, calling the police “trigger happy”.
“The reason I said that these officers are happy, it is because they have pulled 30 times,” said Luis Carrillo. “Unfortunately, they reacted to a nonexistent threat.”
Family members and Garcia supporters stood outside the Fullerton town hall before and after the press conference singing “no justice, no peace” and “protect your blocks against killers”, among others.
Many have held the names of Pedro Garcia and others have held photos of the 19 -year -old young man who graduated from Fullerton High School in 2023, family members said.
Juan Garcia, Pedro’s older brother, said Pedro Garcia liked to go out with friends, listen to music, see the weak-nursing and go out with family members in Los Angeles, or just go for snacks.
Michael Carrillo said Pedro Garcia worked with his stepfather in construction and had a girlfriend. The lawyer characterized the call for the police, which occurred during a family party, as an argument which “has become uncontrollable. This certainly did not justify shooting it ”.
The lawyer added that there may be alcohol consumption, but he was not aware if there were mental health problems at stake.
“It was a good soul that was removed in the wrong direction,” said Juan Garcia.
Gabriela Ordones-Campos, Garcia’s mother, said they had confidence in the police, but all that the police did that night were bad.
Family members said they would continue to fight until they have justice for Pedro Garcia, his older brother at some point saying: “They played with the bad family”.
“Nothing I’m going to do for him is going to bring my son back, but I just want justice now,” said Ordones-Campos. “I just want justice now.”
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