via flickr.com
By Hailey Cairns
CULVER CITY, CA — To commemorate Guillermo Medina’s 40th birthday, his family, alongside community activists, will gather Saturday for a peaceful candlelight vigil aimed at seeking justice for his death, the result of interaction with the Culver City Police.
Medina, an unarmed man, fled the scene of a car crash and suffered a gunshot wound to his back from an officer armed with a military-style rifle on Dec. 18, 2022.
The incident unfolded when the police were called to assist Medina, who was experiencing a mental health breakdown from paranoid schizophrenia and exhibiting erratic behavior.
Despite the officers’ presence, Medina managed to evade them, leading to a pursuit that eventually culminated in a single-car wreck, captured on both police body cameras and a nearby security camera.
In a heartfelt video interview with the Los Angeles Community Action Network, Adriana Medina, Guillermo’s wife, expressed her sentiments about her late husband, describing him as “far from perfect, but perfect for us,” noting his dedication as a husband, his gentle nature, and his unwavering commitment as a father to their three children.
During her impassioned plea, Adriana Medina stressed the crucial importance of offering assistance instead of resorting to violence when individuals are in need, regardless of the nature of their struggles, whether related to mental health or substance abuse.
She emphasized that people in distress require help, not bullets or incarceration.
V. James DeSimone, a civil rights attorney representing the Medina family in the civil lawsuit against the Culver City Police, expressed deep concern regarding the recurring pattern where pleas for help result in tragic outcomes.
DeSimone raised serious concerns about the actions of the CCPD officer involved in the incident, emphasizing that their duty should have been to protect lives rather than resorting to lethal force.
He added the officer’s decision to fatally shoot an unarmed man in the back, who posed no immediate threat while holding only a cell phone, has prompted an unsettling question.
“If a cell phone is considered a threat, then who can truly feel safe,” noting broader concerns about the standards and protocols in place for evaluating potential threats in law enforcement encounters, said the attorney.
