Innocent man who spent years in prison can sue Oakland police

Ronald Ross greets his mother, Thelma, upon his release from prison in 2013. Ross’ lawsuit accuses police of poorly training the officer who allegedly pressured a 2006 shooting victim into falsely IDing Ross. Ronald Ross greets his mother, Thelma, upon his release from prison in 2013. Ross’ lawsuit accuses police of poorly training the officer who allegedly pressured a 2006 shooting victim into falsely IDing Ross. Photo: Lacy Atkins, Staff / The Chronicle Photo: Lacy Atkins, Staff / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Innocent man who spent years in prison can sue Oakland police 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A federal magistrate says a man who spent nearly seven years in prison for an attempted murder he didn’t commit can sue the city of Oakland over its training of a police officer who, the former inmate says, coerced the victim into framing him.

Ronald Ross of Oakland was sentenced to 32 years to life in prison for shooting Renardo Williams in the chest on Williams’ doorstep at a West Oakland apartment building in April 2006. He was freed in February 2013, and declared innocent by a judge, after Williams said he had falsely identified Ross under pressure from police Sgt. James Lovell, the investigating officer.

Ross sued both Lovell and the city for damages. U.S. Magistrate Maria-Elena James dismissed his claim against the city in May, saying Ross had failed to identify any Oakland policies that had contributed to his wrongful imprisonment. Ross’ lawyer then provided more claims of deficiencies in police training, and James said on Monday that the suit could proceed.

The suit now alleges that the city failed to teach officers how to conduct a proper photo lineup without coercing the witness and how to respond to evidence that points to a suspect’s innocence, James said. If Ross can prove those allegations, she said, he may be able to show that the city was deliberately indifferent to his constitutional rights.

Ross’ lawyer, Stanley Goff, said Monday that he believes his client is “just one of many examples’’ of abuse by Oakland police. The goal of the suit, he said, is “to hold them accountable so that maybe this will effect change from the top down.’’

Goff said Ross, now in his early 50s, still lives in Oakland and is “keeping a low profile ... enjoying his life, enjoying his freedom.’’

The city attorney’s office was unavailable for comment.

After the shooting, police questioned Williams, the victim, at Highland Hospital. He told investigators he believed he had been attacked because of a previous dispute with a 14-year-old boy and the boy’s mother. He said he thought the gunman, who was bald, was the youth’s father.

In a sworn statement that led to Ross’ exoneration, Williams said Lovell refused to accept his word that none of the six photos the officer showed him resembled the shooter, and told him instead to pick a photo that turned out to be Ross, who had a full head of hair. Williams said he felt he owed the officer a favor and also feared that he and his family would be in danger if he identified the actual shooter.

Ross unsuccessfully appealed his conviction in state courts, but his case was then taken on by the Innocence Project at Santa Clara University, which helped to locate Williams. Lovell retired from the police force shortly after the shooting. No one else has been charged in the case.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: begelko@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @egelko