Lawsuit filed over shooting death of Santa Cruz County teen
A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed by the family of Luke Smith claiming the use of force the night he was shot and killed in Santa Cruz County was unnecessary.
15-year-old Luke Smith of Aptos was killed in November 2016. He was high on LSD during his confrontation with law enforcement officers the night of his death. The confrontation happened minutes after his father and uncle called 911 to report Smith had stabbed them at their home in Corralitos.
The lawsuit lists several people along with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office and Capitola Police Department.
The suit claims officers didn’t have the training needed to handle situations like this.
“What they’re hoping to accomplish is to create a fundamental change in the way that police departments and emergency responders deal with mental health crisis so that people can be calmly and rationally brought into a care facility instead of being gunned down on the side of the road,” said Attorney Charles Applegate.
The Sheriff’s Office released body-cam footage of their encounter with Smith. The deputy who shot and killed the teen was cleared of any wrongdoing.
The family’s attorney, Charles Applegate, said this case can go two ways, either a settlement could be reached or it could be taken to court.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office released a statement that said, “The Sheriff’s Office has been open and transparent through this tragic event and investigation, however, are unable to comment further due to pending litigation.”
