Footage shows Tulare police fatally shooting Joel Villegas as he runs away
Just under 20 seconds into a foot pursuit with Tulare police, 34-year-old Joel Villegas paused for less than a second as two pursuing officers issued a final verbal warning to drop a knife.
Villegas crossed a pair of railroad tracks along a gravelly path, turned toward law enforcement, then turned his back to them as he continued to flee in the direction of a gated back entrance to a lumber yard.
That’s when Tulare Officers Daniel Bradley and Adan Barragan fired multiple rounds into Villegas, mortally wounding the father of four, according to recently released body cam footage of the April 16 incident.
Those actions taken by officers, including medical care as Villegas lay dying, are part of a claim the family filed late last month against the city of Tulare, the Tulare Police Department and the individual officers.
The claim, which alleges wrongful death, negligence and a failure to summon medical assistance, among several accusations, will likely pave the way for a lawsuit over the killing.
The claim does not cite a dollar amount but says damages will be “in an amount to be determined at trial.”
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