The parents of a 30-year-old man fatally shot by sheriff’s deputies in Paramount are suing Los Angeles County for wrongful death.
The Sheriff’s Department has previously said deputies shot Julio Palomares in 2024 when he advanced on them armed with a pair of scissors.
The confrontation occurred in the 8400 block of Quimby Street, near Downey Avenue and Century Boulevard, about 9:15 p.m. on Aug. 4 when deputies responded to a call “regarding a family disturbance and battery,” according to the Sheriff’s Department.
“Deputy personnel contacted the victim, who explained that the suspect … had punched him in the face after a verbal argument,” the department said in a statement. “Deputies contacted the suspect in the rear yard of the residence”
“The suspect was armed with one pair of scissors approximately 8 inches in total length,” according to the statement. “The suspect immediately and aggressively advanced towards deputy personnel. A less lethal (stun gun) was deployed, but was ineffective. The suspect continued advancing towards deputy personnel when a deputy-involved shooting occurred.”
Paramedics pronounced Palomares dead at the scene.
The lawsuit alleges that he did not threaten the deputies and makes no mention of him holding a pair of scissors.
“During the incident it was obvious, or it should have been obvious to an objectively reasonable deputy, that decedent was experiencing and having a mental health crisis,” according to the suit, which further states that Palomares was not warned that deadly force could be used against him.
The deputies could have used alternative means to subdue Palomares, including pepper spray or further use of the stun gun, the suit states.
The plaintiffs in the Compton Superior Court lawsuit are Antonio Palomares and Encarnacion Palomares Rojo, the father and mother of Julio Palomares. They additionally allege battery, negligence, negligent infliction of emotional distress and civil rights violations. They’re represented by Dale K. Galipo and Eric Valenzuela.
The couple seeks unspecified damages as well as burial and funeral expenses.
An LASD representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the suit brought Feb. 10.