Policing Archives - ChicoSol News

Young shooting victims identified Suspect in Palermo school shooting also named

photo by Yucheng Tang

Sheriff Kory Honea identifies Glenn Litton (shown on screen on left) as the suspect in the Palermo school shooting.

by Yucheng Tang
posted Dec. 5

Roman Mendez, aged 6, sustained two gunshot wounds resulting in internal injuries when a gunman entered his school yard Dec. 4 and opened fire. Elias Wolford, 5, was shot one time in the abdomen, also resulting in internal injuries.

The two kindergarten students who attended Feather River Adventist School in Palermo remained in critical condition today. In the pictures shown at a press briefing earlier today, smiling Roman wore a red sweater and Elias cupped his chin in his hands. read more

Sentencing of ex-cop appealed by DA Domestic partnership declared between former officer and his alleged victim

by Dave Waddell
posted Nov. 14

A fired Gridley police officer previously charged with felony domestic violence has been sentenced to one year of probation for abusing his domestic partner’s dachshund.

Butte County District Mike Ramsey said his office wants a longer, more restrictive probationary period for Devin Pasley and has appealed his sentencing by Superior Court Judge Virginia Gingery. A hearing on the appeal has yet to be scheduled.

Gingery sentenced Pasley to 90 days in jail for misdemeanor animal cruelty but stayed the jail time pending successful completion of the one-year probationary term. The conditions of his probation prohibit Pasley from having animals in his home. read more

Taser pain minimized at Rushing trial Testimony from ‘cottage industry of exoneration’ aided Chico police

by Dave Waddell
news analysis posted Oct. 29

The pain of the taser was “searing … like a baseball bat swung hard and squarely into the small of your back. That sensation, which is actually two sharp steel barbs piercing your skin and shooting electricity into your central nervous system, is followed by the harshest, most violent spasm you can imagine coursing through your entire body.” – Journalist Matt Stroud in his book “Thin Blue Lie.”

SACRAMENTO — Three years ago, the New York Times published a deeply reported story on how paid experts help exonerate police in killing cases. This month, that “cottage industry of exoneration,” including one expert who has made a fortune minimizing the dangers of tasers, operated at full gear on the 15th floor of the Robert T. Matsui Federal Courthouse. read more

Rushings lose federal civil rights lawsuit Jury finds tasing of motionless Tyler Rushing not excessive force

photo courtesy of Rushing family

Tyler Rushing

by Dave Waddell
posted Oct. 17

SACRAMENTO – An eight-person jury decided today that the tasing seven years ago of the thrice-shot, motionless Tyler Rushing by a Chico police officer was not excessive force.

Jurors did find negligence in the incident by police, but attached no monetary award to that judgment, said Mark Merin, attorney for Tyler’s parents, Scott and Paula Rushing.

The decision was a victory for the City of Chico and defendant officers Alex Fliehr, Jeremy Gagnebin and Cedric Schwyzer in a civil rights lawsuit brought by the Rushings. read more

Expert: Police fear in tasing ‘imaginary’ Rushing’s parents testify emotionally at civil rights trial

by Dave Waddell
posted Oct. 11

SACRAMENTO — A veteran police practices expert told a jury Thursday (Oct. 10) that it was “imaginary fear” that led Chico police to tase a seemingly incapacitated Tyler Rushing.

That consultant, Roger A. Clark of Santee, testified in federal court that Rushing “was no longer a credible threat” when officer Alex Fliehr jolted his body with a taser shot as Rushing lay semi-prone on the bloody floor of a downtown Chico business on July 23, 2017.

Tyler’s parents, Paula and Scott Rushing of Ventura, also testified emotionally Thursday. Jurors heard too from disagreeing experts about whether the burst of electricity from Fliehr’s taser could have contributed to Tyler’s death. read more

Officers defend use of taser on fallen Rushing Civil rights trial continues with more testimony in federal court

by Dave Waddell
posted Oct. 10

SACRAMENTO – Jurors on Wednesday (Oct. 9) viewed video clips from Chico police officers’ body-worn cameras that captured the last instants of Tyler Rushing’s life.

A dominant color in the scene was the bright red of Rushing’s blood framing his semi-prone body. After bleeding out for the better part of an hour following a serious gunshot wound to his chest from a private security guard, Rushing was shot twice more by a Chico police sergeant and lay on the floor of a title company’s women’s restroom. read more