Family members of a woman killed in a police shooting after she was taken hostage at a homeless outreach center in June said they were filing wrongful death and negligence claims against the city of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Police Department on Wednesday.

Attorneys for three of Elizabeth Tollison’s adult children said they believed the LAPD officers who responded to Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission in Van Nuys after a report of a stabbing were negligent when they failed to de-escalate the situation, then fired their weapons 18 times at the man holding a knife to the woman’s neck.

The 49-year-old Tollison was shot twice in the encounter, LAPD Chief Michel Moore said Tuesday. She was taken to a hospital, where she later died.

Attorney Brian Dunn of the Cochran Firm at a press conference announcing a lawsuit against the LAPD in the shooting death of Rebecca Tollison. At right is Jesse Pelaez, son of the victim. (Photo by David Crane, Daily News/SCNG)

Nick Ramirez holds a photo of his mother, Rebecca Tollison, who was shot by police as she was being held at knifepoint. A lawsuit is being filed against the LAPD in the case. (Photo by David Crane, Daily News/SCNG)

Sound The gallery will resume in seconds

A file photo of Rebecca Tollison who was shot and killed by police while she was being held at knifepoint. (Photo by David Crane, Daily News/SCNG)

Attorney Brian Dunn of the Cochran Firm at a press conference announcing a lawsuit against the LAPD in the shooting death of Rebecca Tollison. At right is Jesse Pelaez, son of the victim. (Photo by David Crane, Daily News/SCNG)

Jesse Pelaez, left, and Nick Ramirez, right at a press conference in which they announced they were filing a lawsuit against the LAPD for shooting their mother, Rebecca Tollison while she was being held at knifepoint by a suspect. Attorney Brian Dunn of the Cochran Firm is handling the case. (Photo by David Crane, Daily News/SCNG)



Brian Dunn, a managing partner for the Cochran Firm, which is representing Tollison’s family, said the firing of that many rounds by officers was a “complete departure” from the department’s training for hostage situations.

“It is illogical and inconceivable for an officer on the scene to not realize that she will certainly be shot if 18 rounds are fired,” Dunn said.

Brian Dunn of #theCochranFirm at a press conference announcing a claim against the #LAPD in the shooting death of #RebeccaTollison in #VanNuys pic.twitter.com/dlL1rqucZe — David Crane (@vidcrane) August 2, 2018

A spokeswoman for the law firm said the claim for damages was filed with the city on Wednesday. The firm released a letter dated Aug. 1 that was sent to the Los Angeles city clerk, but attorneys did not specify an amount Tollison’s family was seeking.

The spokeswoman said the firm would consider filing a lawsuit if the city rejects the family’s claims.

An official said the city does not comment on pending litigation.

The shooting at the outreach center inside a church in the 6400 block of Tyrone Avenue occurred June 16. At around 1:10 p.m. that day, LAPD received a 9-1-1 call about a man who stabbed a woman.

When the officers arrived, they found 32-year-old Guillermo Perez holding a long, serrated knife and a folding chair. The officers commanded Perez to drop the knife, then fired bean-bag rounds at him from a shotgun — one hit the man in the chest, and the other was deflected by the chair.

After a few seconds, Perez turned to Tollison, who was leaning on a walker next to the wall of the church. He grabbed the woman, and placed the knife against her neck. That’s when the officers fired, fatally injuring both people.

LAPD released video of the encounter at its downtown headquarters on Tuesday. Chief Moore said he and investigators would review whether the officers followed training when they fired their weapons at Perez.

Moore would not say Tuesday whether he believed the officers followed LAPD policy. But he said all officers are also trained in taking “precise head shots” in situations where a suspect has grabbed a victim to use as a human shield. And he noted that similar situations have been resolved in the past through an officer accurately shooting a hostage-taker.

RELATED STORY: Graphic video of LAPD shooting in Van Nuys that left suspect, victim dead in June is released

The shooting of Tollison was the second killing of a bystander or hostage by police this summer. On July 21, police also killed a Trader Joe’s manager in Silver Lake when they fired at a shooting suspect who was fleeing into the store.

Moore said before the shooting in June, LAPD officers hadn’t killed a hostage in at least 13 years.

Two of Tollison’s children — Jesse Pelaez, 26, and Nick Ramirez, 28 — appeared at the Cochran Firm offices on Wednesday. Pelaez said he and his siblings visited their mother in the hospital after the shooting.

Sign up for our breaking news email newsletter: When major local news happens, you will be the first to know. Subscribe here

Moore and other LAPD officials said previously they believed the officers fired when Perez raised the knife to Tollison’s neck. In the video, the man can be seen behind the woman with his arms around her while holding both ends of the knife against her neck.

Commander Alan Hamilton, who leads LAPD’s unit that investigates police shootings, said witnesses at the scene reported seeing Perez making a “sawing” motion with the knife. He said that’s when the officers fired.

Pelaez said a doctor treating his mother told him that she received a knife wound to her cheek that was not life-threatening.

He said he believed police chose the “worst-case scenario” in trying to stop Perez.

“I’m sure if the hostage was somebody important, the situation would have been handled differently,” Pelaez said. “But you can see in the video that the police had no regard for my mother’s life, and shot her down.”

An administrator for Hope of the Valley said Tollison was disabled and needed a walker to move around. He said the woman had been receiving services from the center for seven to eight months, and was in the process of being placed in temporary housing.

Police said they believed the woman’s lack of mobility meant she was essentially trapped and unable to get away from Perez as the encounter unfolded.

Neither Pelaez nor Ramirez spoke about their mother’s disability Wednesday. They also wouldn’t say how long she had been on the streets.

LAPD identified the involved officers as Eugene Damiano, Andrew Trock and Christian Bonilla. Officials have not revealed the officers’ time on the force.

Chief Moore said Tuesday his department is reviewing its “less lethal” weapon options and its training procedures following both of the recent deadly shootings.