Family of man killed during confrontation with a Los Angeles County sheriff deputy sues department

"The family alleges that sheriff's officials failed to recognize that Mercurio was having mental health issues during the Jan. 11 confrontation, which ultimately led to his death."

"Instead of deploying a team that could de-escalate the situation, or calling for the Mental Evaluation Team, they sent one single officer to handle the situation."

"Body camera video shows Deputy Lorena Gonzalez responding to a call about a transient sleeping in the mall, which escalated quickly with Mercurio making threats."

Read at Los Angeles Times