Special to the Vanguard
A naked, bleeding man in the throes of a mental health crisis posed no threat to Sacramento Sheriff’s Office deputies when he was shot dead in his driveway in March, according to a civil rights lawsuit filed Tuesday.
Home security video shows the fatal shooting of Christopher Gilmore the morning of March 23, 2024, a release stated.
Gilmore, 38, had been cutting himself, emerged from his garage holding the small blade he’d used. According to his family’s attorneys, Gilmore held it by his waist and never pointed or waved it at deputies, and he never approached them, even after he was shot 
six times by a deputy with “less lethal” projectiles at close range.
The video shows that Gilmore turned his back to the projectiles and stumbled down the driveway, staying alongside a parked pickup truck, in an effort to avoid being hit, according to the lawsuit.
His sister, Bobbie Gilmore, was calling to him from across the street and believes he was trying to get to her for help.
Instead, attorneys argue, a deputy fired three live rounds at Gilmore, who collapsed and rolled into the street. Deputies did not approach the mortally wounded man to render aid, even though the small blade had landed several feet away in the street.
An ambulance arrived about two minutes later and Gilmore was pronounced dead.
“The tragic and unnecessary killing of Christopher Gilmore is a stark reminder of the need for comprehensive police reform and better mental health crisis intervention,” said Los Angeles civil rights attorney V. James DeSimone, who is representing some of Gilmore’s family, including two of his four children and his sister Bobbie Gilmore.
He added, “Christopher posed no threat to the deputies, and yet, he was met with lethal force instead of the help he desperately needed.”
DeSimone, of V. James DeSimone Law, and Sacramento litigator Daniel Del Rio, of Del Rio & Caraway, filed the lawsuit Tuesday, July 16, in Sacramento County Superior Court against Sacramento County and several unnamed deputies.
