Parents of slain teenager Jesse Romero file federal lawsuit against L.A., police officer

The parents of a gun-wielding 14-year-old whom Los Angeles police shot and killed in Boyle Heights last year have filed suit against the city and an officer, alleging that police violated their son’s civil rights, used excessive force and denied him timely medical care.

“By not disciplining police officers when they use excessive force, [the city has] fostered a culture of allowing officers to shoot people and get away with it,” said the family’s attorney, Humberto Guizar, at a Friday press conference.

Police have said Jesse Romero was with two others behind an apartment complex near Chicago Street and Cesar Chavez Avenue on Aug. 9, 2016, tagging gang-type graffiti when gang officers approached. The three bolted, the LAPD said, with Romero “grabbing his front waistband.”

As they approached Breed Street, officers heard a gunshot, police have said, adding that a witness saw Romero fire a handgun in the direction of the officers.

One of the officers then saw Romero crouched on the sidewalk with his arm extended, police said in a statement. “Fearing Romero was going to shoot at them,” the officer fired two shots.

That officer, Eden Medina, fatally shot a man in Boyle Heights just 12 days before he shot and killed Romero.

In the lawsuit filed in federal court on Tuesday, the family said Medina should not have been allowed to return to the field so soon after his first shooting.

At Friday’s press conference, Guizar also disputed police accounts that a witness saw Jesse fire a handgun, and that he was pointing a handgun at officers when he was shot. Witnesses saw Jesse throw the gun and a video shows the gun on the other side of a wrought-iron fence, Guizar said.

“It would have been impossible for Jesse to have a gun in his hand, aiming it at the officers at the time they shot him,” Guizar said.

Officer Liliana Preciado, an LAPD spokesperson, said the department does not comment on pending litigation. On Friday, L.A. City Attorney’s office spokesman Rob Wilcox said the office had not yet received and reviewed the lawsuit.

The boy’s parents said Jesse’s death has taken a toll on the family. Their second son, who is now 14, “is very, very depressed,” said Jesse’s father, Jesus Romero Garcia. “We only want justice.”

Jesse’s mother, Teresa Dominguez, held up a framed photo of Jesse throughout the press conference. “He was a very good boy” and a good student, she said. “He had many dreams.”

In October the parents filed a legal claim against the city, a precursor to a lawsuit, alleging excessive force. The city has not responded, Guizar said, which allows the parents to file a lawsuit.

Times reporter Kate Mather contributed to this article.

Reach Sonali Kohli at Sonali.Kohli@latimes.com or on Twitter @Sonali_Kohli.