The Long Beach Unified School District has settled a lawsuit about shoot dead people of an 18-year-old mother by a school safety officer for $13 million, her family’s attorney said Monday.
On September 27, 2021, Manuela “Mona” Rodriguez was shot by safety officer Eddie Gonzalez while she was in the passenger seat of a moving car one block from the Millikan High School campus.
Rodriguez, the mother of a 5-month-old baby at the time of the shooting, was brain dead for several days until life support was removed.
Rodriguez’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the school district in early 2022 alleging assault and negligence.
The family is set to speak at a news conference on Tuesday.
The Long Beach Unified School District was unavailable for comment Monday to The Times.
After the shooting, Gonzalez was fired by the county for violating its use of force policy and charged with murder by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. Gonzalez, who pleaded not guilty, is awaiting trial.
The incident, captured on video, attracted harsh criticism from law enforcement experts.
In one video, Gonzalez can be seen approaching the passenger side of a car driven by Rodriguez and her child’s father, Rafeul Chowdhury, then 20, and his 16-year-old brother, none of they are armed.
Rodriguez and another girl got into a fight that Gonzalez tried to break up with.
In the video, the car drives away and Gonzalez fires two shots at it.
“The vehicle was clearly not a weapon, as it was moving away from him when he opened fire,” Charles “Sid” Heal, retired LA County sheriff commander, told The Times in 2016. 2021.
Seth Stoughton, a former Florida police officer and University of South Carolina law professor, told The Times: “The vehicle was not a threat, so there was no justification for the use of force. deadly here.
“This case really illustrates the importance of holding public officials accountable,” Dist. Atty. George Gascón said in October 2021. “Particularly public officials are entrusted with the safety of our families and children.”
