By Cheyenne Galloway
CULVER CITY, CA – A community rallied together under the guidance of the Guillermo Medina family to honor those fathers killed and families affected by police violence at a silent vigil, which was held on Father’s Day in front of the Culver City Police headquarters.
Robert Frank said the family of Medina organized this vigil for all fathers who were impacted by police brutality, which included their father, Guillermo Medina, a father of three shot and killed on Dec. 18, 2022.
The family said the unarmed Medina was jogging away from the scene of a car accident, where he had wrecked his car. As he was leaving, an officer shot him in the back with a “military-style” rifle.
Medina had paranoid schizophrenia, and the police had already been informed earlier and were called on for help as Medina was having a mental health breakdown, added the family, explaining that when responding officers arrived on the scene, Medina’s first response was to evade the police.
As Medina fled the police, they pursued after him in a short vehicle chase, ultimately leading to a “one-car wreck,” and, according to Frank, “His killing was captured on police body cameras and a nearby security camera.”
In a video interview cited by Frank, Medina’s wife, Adriana Medina, spoke to the Los Angeles Community Action Network stating, “Guillermo was having a mental health crisis. Don’t judge him because his mind played tricks on him. He was a phenomenal person. Stop taking parents from their children. Stop taking children from their parents.”
The family’s civil rights attorney, Marina del Rey, also spoke on the matter, arguing, “As we gather this Father’s Day, we mourn the loss of Guillermo Medina and all the fathers who have been taken too soon due to egregious acts of police violence. When a child loses a parent in such a traumatic and unjust manner, it is an unbearable sorrow that lasts a lifetime.”
Rey continued, “Guillermo’s death was not only a deeply personal loss for his loved ones but also a stark reminder of the systemic issues facing our community. This man, suffering a mental health crisis, needed help and compassion, not the violence that ultimately took his life.”
