Police sued for over $75,000 in fatal shooting of mentally ill man

SUNRISE — The family of a mentally ill man shot and killed by a Sunrise officer two years ago has filed a federal lawsuit seeking more than $75,000 in damages.

Marlon Woodstock’s life ended in a Walgreens parking lot on Sept. 30, 2014, after he refused to drop a knife and continued to resist officers even after being hit five times with a stun gun, attacked by a police dog and shot twice while on the ground, police reports say.

According to the lawsuit, Woodstock never posed a threat and was verbally unresponsive when he was shot by K-9 Officer Gregory Loor, then a 14-year veteran of the department.

Woodstock’s mother, young son and four siblings are still grieving his loss, said Christopher Brown, an attorney for the family.

“It’s devastating for them,” Brown said. “They don’t understand why it was necessary for their son to die that day. They want answers and we’re trying to get them.”

Sunrise spokeswoman Christine Pfeffer said the city does not comment on pending litigation.

Police responded to a 911 call from Woodstock’s older brother the morning of Sept. 30, 2014.

O’Neil Woodstock told a dispatcher his brother was mentally ill, off his medication and needed to be taken to a hospital for evaluation under the state’s Baker Act.

Woodstock summoned police after his brother used a knife to flatten the tires on their cousin’s truck, then took off on foot for a gas station at the corner of University Drive and Sunset Strip.

When police caught up with Marlon Woodstock at the gas station, he ignored orders to stop and ran across the street to a Walgreens parking lot at 2301 N. University Drive, police reports say.

Several officers told him repeatedly to drop the knife and stop resisting. But Woodstock held onto his knife even after being hit several times with stun guns and attacked by Loor’s police dog, police reports say.

“It just seemed like there should have been a pause time,” Brown said.

“Every cop there is yelling a different command: Raise your hand, don’t move, drop your knife. And you have a guy who’s mentally ill. He’s not going to be able to understand.”