Parents of unarmed man killed by Mesa police sue

The parents of a man Mesa police shot and killed in 2018 have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city.

Officer Heath Carroll killed Anthony Lopez, 21, on July 21, 2018 after officials said Lopez refused to follow orders and struck Carroll with his car.

However, Lopez’s parents, Patrica and Cesar, allege Carroll and Officer Jena Thranum used unnecessary lethal force against their son as he was unarmed and say Carroll could have easily moved out of the path of the vehicle.

The Lopezes are seeking an unspecified amount in damages in addition to attorneys’ fees and funeral expenses.

Neither the Mesa Police Department nor the city comment on pending litigation.

According to the lawsuit, Lopez was driving near Dobson Road and Southern Avenue at about 3 a.m. on July, 21 2018 when Carroll and Thranum stopped him.

The details in the lawsuit are sparse. Previously, former Police Department spokesman Det. Steve Berry said Lopez was stopped because the officers thought he may have been driving while intoxicated.

“Berry said Lopez refused to follow directions during the traffic stop,” The Arizona Republic reported on July 21. “He then accelerated backward, striking one of the officers and hitting a patrol vehicle.”

Carroll was struck in the leg. He then dropped the stun gun he was holding and drew his firearm, shooting Lopez at least one time.

Lopez suffered from a seizure disorder and may have had seizure prior to or during his encounter with the two officers, according to the lawsuit. It also calls the shooting “excessive and unreasonable” because, it says, Carroll could have stepped out of the path of the car and Lopez was not a threat as he was unarmed. It questioned why Carroll didn’t use a less-than-lethal alternative.

Following the shooting, the lawsuit says, the officers held Lopez at gunpoint and were slow to call for medical aid.

“The officers handcuffed (Lopez) prior to any medical aid being rendered, even though (Lopez) had already been shot and injured. The delay of medical care to (Lopez) caused (Lopez) and (his parents) extreme physical and emotional pain and suffering,” according to the lawsuit.

Lopez later died at the hospital. An attorney for the family did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office determined the shooting was justified in February, clearing the officers of any wrongdoing.