A man who allegedly threatened to shoot his ex-girlfriend and was later shot by a San Diego police officer while fleeing with the couple’s kid has filed a federal complaint accusing the officer and the city of civil rights violations, including excessive force.
Steffon Nutall, 29, was shot on the evening of May 19 in the city’s Chollas View neighborhood after his ex-girlfriend called 911 after he allegedly entered her apartment with a gun, threatened to kill everyone if the police arrived, and fled with their 11-month-old daughter, according to a San Diego police video.
Nutall was shot multiple times outside a nearby residence shortly after. He has been charged with several charges, including assault with a firearm, criminal threats, child endangerment, and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, police said. He has pled not guilty and is detained without bond until a preliminary hearing.
Authorities eventually discovered that he had dropped his firearm and was not armed when he was shot. The baby was located nearby, unharmed.
The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, claims Officer Robert Gladysz “unreasonably and unjustifiably” discharged his firearm even though Nutall never posed a “credible threat of violence,” leaving him with injuries that impair his ability to move his legs and necessitating the use of a wheelchair.
“This is a bad shooting. His back was turned towards the officer. “There was no gun,” attorney Douglas Hopson, whose firm filed the complaint, said Saturday. “There are too many facts, too many circumstances that should have made it clear that Nutall was not armed.”
Hopson claimed Nutall went to the residence because he was concerned for his child’s safety, but declined to elaborate. “He’s there to get his child, because he, in his mind, believes his child is in danger,” replied the father.
Police claimed Nutall was holding the baby when he was shot, but Hopson denied this. San Diego’s city and police departments did not reply to inquiries seeking comment on Saturday.
San Diego police had previously published a 10-minute video of the event, which shows the 911 call, police attempts to locate Nutall, and the gunshot at 10:27 p.m.
The 911 call is mostly inaudible, but cops said his ex-girlfriend unlocked her bedroom door after he threatened to shoot through it. A man, known as Nutall, then grabs the phone, unaware of who is on it or that police are on their way, and says, “If the police come to this door, I am going to kill everything in here.” I promise you that. So call 911; I’m killing people.”
When authorities arrived, they alleged Nutall fled with the infant and was later discovered hiding in bushes near other residences. Gladysz’s body camera captures the officer demanding Nutall to show his hands or he will shoot, just as the man darts out of the bushes, and Gladysz fires six shots.
The cop can be heard saying Nutall waved a gun at him, but he did not notice the baby. The gun was eventually discovered in the parking lot of a trolley station, which Nutall had sprinted through while fleeing police. In a video image, investigators highlighted an object in Gladysz’s right palm that they believe he mistook for a weapon. The infant was found near Nutall after being shot. According to police, he was holding the girl under his left arm when the incident occurred.
According to Hopson, Nutall had already placed his daughter down before the shooting, “expecting and praying that the officers would not simply start shooting at him.”
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the shooting, which will be examined by the San Diego County District Attorney’s office to determine whether criminal charges should be filed against officers, according to the police video.
The FBI and the US Attorney’s Office are overseeing the inquiry, while the Police Department’s internal affairs will look into any policy violations. A shooting review board will also assess the officers’ tactics, according to the video.
Gladysz, a patrol officer, had been with the department for a year and a half before the shooting, according to the sheriff’s department.
The federal lawsuit seeks different damages, claiming that the shooting was caused by “policies, practices, and customs” that result in “unconstitutionally inadequate treatment for individuals of [African] descent.”
According to Hopson, Nutall was shot four times, once in each limb, and suffered nerve or orthopedic damage that forced him to use a wheelchair. He was hospitalized for more than a month following the incident, and his release on bond is being sought so he may receive better medical treatment, according to Hopson.
Hannah Hopson, a California attorney, and partner at the Hopson Company, a Chicago-based law company founded by her father Douglas Hopson, filed the complaint. Hopson stated that he intends to seek authorization to participate in the case even though he is not admitted to the state bar in this jurisdiction. Nutall’s criminal case is being handled by another attorney.
