Teen fatally shot by off-duty officer “without warning”

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Alexis Mendez-Perez’ family filed a lawsuit on Thursday against Desmond Manning, a criminal investigator who shot the teenager, resulting in his killing last April 23 at northeastern Denver.
• Another teenager, Andy Munoz, who also got shot by Manning, was also a plaintiff in the lawsuit.
• Mendez-Perez’ group entered a vacant home near Manning’s residence. When the police came, the group scattered as Mendez-Perez and Munoz climbed up to Manning’s backyard where he shot them both.

On Thursday, the family of Alexis Mendez-Perez, a teenager from Colorado, filed a lawsuit against a law officer who recklessly shot him in his backyard as a group of friends ran away after breaking a home. The incident happened on April 23, which resulted in Mendez-Perez’ passing.

The lawsuit came four months after Mendez-Perez’ death, and over two months after Denver District Attorney Beth McCann denied to draw charges against Desmond Manning, 46, the shooter who was off duty at that time of the incident. Manning was a criminal investigator at the State’s Department of Corrections. According to a spokeswoman, he has already left his post since July.

According to McCann, there was no adequate proof to compel a jury to give a guilty verdict to Manning. But Mendez-Perez’ family argued otherwise as Manning opted to confront the teen, who they said was not a threat, and shot him in his backyard.

Referring to authorities who use deadly force, Mendez-Perez’ older sister Ana said: “We want justice — not for them to be let off the hook right away.”

According to court documents, the shooting happened around 1 am on April 23, where Mendez-Perez and four other high school friends were accused of entering a vacant home in northeast Denver. As stated in the lawsuit, the victim’s family said that the group planned to have a party since the house was vacant.

Manning and his family, who lived beside the home, saw the group trying to break-in. His wife then called 911. When the police came, the group scattered. Mendez-Perez and Andy Munoz climbed a fence that directs to Manning’s backyard, based on the police records.

According to the lawsuit, Manning, holding his gun, then turned on his porch light and fired five times towards Mendez-Perez and Munoz, who then ran away.

Representing Mendez-Perez’ family and Munoz, Attorney Charlie Crichton said that the teens were unarmed and had no intention to hurt anybody. They may have trespassed the vacant home, but it was not enough to shoot them.

“Breaking into a vacant house should not be a death sentence. We have the criminal justice system for high school kids who break into a vacant house,” Crichton said.

According to Manning, he felt threatened since he was with his wife and children, saying he “didn’t want to have these men come into my home.”

Munoz was also a plaintiff in the case filed. Both parties are seeking compensatory damages.

Mendez-Perez’ death has sparked protests in Denver against racial injustice and calls to “defund the police.”

Source: Yahoo News