The family of a man who was shot and killed by a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy in Valencia nearly two years ago is suing the department.
The suit , first reported by Seamus Hughes’ Court Watch and one of only a handful of cases filed on Christmas Day, alleges that Christopher Mercurio’s Jan. 11, 2023, killing at the Westfield Valencia Town Center mall was unnecessary.
Mercurio’s family further alleges that the two shots fired by Deputy Lorena Gonzalez amounted to “unreasonable and excessive force” against a person with mental health issues…