Chico >> The city of Chico has rejected a wrongful death claim filed by the family of Desmond Phillips, the 25-year-old Chico man who was shot and killed by Chico police in March.

City Attorney Vincent Ewing said Tuesday that the claim for damages — which was filed June 8 — was denied July 23. Ewing said he had no comment as to why the city rejected the claim.

Now that the claim has been denied, the Phillips family can choose to sue the city over Desmond’s death. Family members have indicated they are pursuing legal action, and the Oakland-based law firm of John L. Burris has been working on their behalf.

The Phillips family and their supporters in recent weeks also have signed and sent a letter addressed to California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, asking for his office to conduct its own investigation in relation to the fatal police shooting.

The Phillips family and other advocates have expressed distrust in an investigation of the shooting led by Butte County District Mike Ramsey. They also have questioned the level of mental health response training Chico police have received, as well as the roles mental illness and race play in encounters with law enforcement.

Desmond was black, and his family has said he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.

In an email to this newspaper, a spokesperson for the Office of the Attorney General said the office has received the letter.

“However, to protect the integrity of any action we may take, we do not comment on — even to confirm or deny — any potential review of the matter,” the spokesperson wrote.

Police fatally shot Desmond during an incident that happened the evening of March 17 at Desmond’s father’s apartment in the 700 block of West Fourth Avenue. Desmond had been suffering from an apparent mental health episode at the time, and police have said officers broke into the apartment and shot Desmond on information he was wielding knives and threatening to stab his father inside.

The Phillips family has disputed the police account and an investigation conducted by the Butte County Officer Involved Shooting/Critical Incident Protocol Team, which is led by Ramsey.

Ramsey cleared the officers who shot Desmond — Jeremy Gagenbin and Alex Fliehr — of any criminal liability in the matter. Ramsey said the officers “took appropriate and justifiable action to end the unfortunate knife attack by a mentally or medically ill person.”

In the family’s claim against the city, it’s alleged officers used “negligent police tactics” during their fatal confrontation with Desmond and should have been better prepared.

Desmond was brought to the ground by a Taser strike in the moments after police kicked down the front door of Desmond’s father’s apartment, but investigators have said he was able to quickly rise to his feet because the strike wasn’t fully effective.

According to Ramsey’s investigation, one of the shooting officers said Desmond got up and advanced on him with what he believed to be a knife in each hand. The other shooting officer said he saw Desmond pick something up from the ground — a “sharpened stick with a shiny metal point” — and began swinging.

The officers fired 16 shots at Desmond, and after he fell to the ground an officer found in Desmond’s hand what turned out to be a broken piece of the wooden front door jamb with a metal dead bolt faceplate still attached to it.

Two kitchen knives were found on the ground near the apartment’s front doorway.

The family’s claim against the city alleges that instead of restraining Desmond when he fell to the floor from the Taser strike, officers waited. Desmond was then hit by at least 10 gunshots several seconds later and died from his wounds.

Contact reporter Andre Byik at 896-7760.