As two officers charged with Kelly Thomas' death head to trial, Kelly's dad Ron Thomas pushes for mental health reforms.
Watch Ron's interview on CNN:
Court Says Employer Is Liable for Injury Caused by Employee's Vehicle
In many legal actions, employers are held liable for the conduct of their employees. Employers are seen as directing the actions of their employees, and are thus required to share in the bad, not just the good, consequences of those actions.
However, employers are not responsible for all actions of their workers; rather, they are liable only for actions taken within the scope of employment. Actions within the scope of employment usually include those undertaken in the course of performing job duties with at least partial intent to further the employer's business.
Continue reading Court Says Employer Is Liable for Injury Caused by Employee's Vehicle
Comments: Leave a comment
FBI REVIEWS BEATING DEATH IN FULLERTON
FOX 11 News
Fullerton - The FBI is reviewing the scuffle between Fullerton police and a 37-year-old homeless man suspected of possessing stolen goods who later died.
The FBI is looking into whether Kelly Thomas' civil rights were violated when Fullerton police struggled to arrest him earlier this month, Laura Eimiller of the FBI said.
The Orange County District Attorney's Office is also reviewing the circumstances of Thomas' death to see if any laws were violated. The FBI review will be a parallel investigation, Eimiller said.
FULLERTON MAY HIRE OUTSIDE INVESTIGATOR IN HOMELESS MAN'S DEATH
KTLA News
The Fullerton City Council is set to decide this morning whether to hire a renowned police watchdog to review its police department's policies and practices in the wake of a homeless man's deadly encounter with six officers.
Fullerton City Manager Joe Felz is recommending the council hire Michael Gennaco to conduct an independent review of Kelly Thomas' death. Gennaco oversees Los Angeles County's Office of Independent Review and daily scrutinizes the L.A. County Sheriff's Department's actions.
The death of Thomas, who suffered from schizophrenia, is already under criminal investigation by the FBI and Orange County District Attorney's office.
Continue reading FULLERTON MAY HIRE OUTSIDE INVESTIGATOR IN HOMELESS MAN'S DEATH
Comments: Leave a comment
FULLERTON POLICE CHIEF COULD BE FORCED OUT OVER BEATING DEATH
KTLA News
A second Fullerton City Council member is asking the police chief to resign after a mentally ill homeless man was beaten to death during a confrontation with six officers.
Council member Sharon Quirk-Silva called for Chief Michael Sellers' resignation Wednesday, criticizing the Police Department for refusing to answer questions about the case or share information with the council. A second council member, Bruce Whitaker, told KTLA on Thursday that he also thinks the chief should resign.
He said the chief is refusing to answer questions in hopes that the public will soon forget about what happened.
Continue reading FULLERTON POLICE CHIEF COULD BE FORCED OUT OVER BEATING DEATH
Comments: Leave a comment
VIDEO SHOWS PARTS OF DEADLY FULLERTON POLICE INCIDENT, D.A. SAYS
By Richard Winton in Los Angeles and Abby Sewell in Fullerton
Orange County prosecutors said they have reviewed a videotape that shows parts of a deadly altercation between homeless man Kelly Thomas and Fullerton police.
The Orange County district attorney has more than two dozen investigators working on the case. Officials have already interviewed 80 witnesses and plan to interview more than 100 people.
"You understand why the public is upset. We are doing the investigation as quickly as possible. We are waiting for the toxicology and the cause of death," said Susan Kang Schroeder, the district attorney's chief of staff. "The D.A. has made it very clear. This is a priority. We have two dozen investigators involved in the investigations.... It is such an important case. The public wants the answers as soon as possible but the public does not want a rush to judgment."
Continue reading VIDEO SHOWS PARTS OF DEADLY FULLERTON POLICE INCIDENT, D.A. SAYS
Comments: Leave a comment
FULLERTON POLICE BEATING OF HOMELESS MAN IS UNDER INVESTIGATION
By Kate Mather and Abby Sewell, Los Angeles Times
Kelly Thomas, 37, a schizophrenic, died five days after a run-in with Fullerton officers. The FBI, district attorney, Police Department and horrified civilian witnesses want answers.
As they boarded an Orange County transit bus the night of July 5, passengers recounted a disturbing story in graphic detail: A homeless man near the bus station was under attack by police officers.
"The cops are kicking this poor guy over there, all these cops," one woman told the bus driver in a conversation captured on a grainy bus surveillance tape.
"He's almost halfway dead," another passenger told the driver. "They killed him."
Continue reading FULLERTON POLICE BEATING OF HOMELESS MAN IS UNDER INVESTIGATION
Comments: Leave a comment
2 Police Officers Charged in Death of California Man
By AMY TAXIN and GREG RISLING, Associated Press
Prosecutors charged one police officer with murder and another with manslaughter Wednesday in the killing of an unarmed, mentally ill homeless man who was pummeled, shocked with a Taser and slammed with the butt of a stun gun in a beating that lasted nearly 10 minutes.
Fullerton Officer Manuel Ramos was charged with one count each of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in the death of 37-year-old Kelly Thomas after a violent confrontation with officers on July 5, Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said at a news conference.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF PRESS CONFERENCE
RE: KELLY THOMAS: CAUSE OF DEATH REVEALED
DATE: Wednesday, September 7, 2011
TIME: 11 a.m.
LOCATION: Varsity Restaurant
Mardirossian Law Building (ground floor)
6311 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, Ca 90048
CONTACT: Jacklin Boyadjian
(323) 653-6311 - jboyadjian@garolaw.com
Attorney Garo Mardirossian, along with Kelly Thomas' father Ron Thomas, will hold a press conference to reveal the much awaited cause of death, documented by recently produced medical records. This information is being released with the expectation and hope that it will cause the prosecutorial agencies to finally bring criminal charges against the Fullerton Police officers involved in Kelly Thomas' brutal beating and death. Those prosecutorial agencies include the District Attorney of Orange County, the Attorney General of the State of California and the Federal Prosecutor.
Press Packet will include: medical records and graphic photos of the broken bones and other injuries Kelly suffered, plus medical radiological imaging.
Comments: Leave a comment
City Council of Fullerton approved hiring of Michael J. Gennaco to reform the city's police force and review last month's arrest and subsequent death of a homeless schizophrenic man
By Michael Martinez, CNN
Los Angeles (CNN) -- The City Council of Fullerton, California, approved Tuesday evening the hiring of an independent consultant to reform the city's police force and review last month's arrest and subsequent death of a homeless schizophrenic man, a spokeswoman said.
Before a gallery of residents angry about the death, the council voted 5-0 to award a one-year $50,000 contract to Michael J. Gennaco, a consultant whose rate is $260 an hour, to examine the police department's policies and practices, city spokeswoman Sylvia Palmer Mudrick said.
