Family of unarmed man shot by police files lawsuit against city, Redding police

Matt Brannon | Redding

Update, Dec. 18:

Redding police released the name of the officer who shot Donnell Lang on Wednesday. The officer was Brett Leonard, who was hired by RPD on July 1, 2018. Leonard was previously employed with the Burlingame Police Department for five years, according to Lt. Levi Solada.

Original story:

Family members of a man shot and killed by Redding police filed a wrongful death lawsuit Thursday against the department and the city of Redding in response to what they call the "outrageous" and "unacceptable" shooting of an unarmed Navy veteran.

Police shot Donnell Lang on April 2 after receiving reports of a suspicious person with a gun walking in the street and watching children play basketball near Lema Ranch. Investigators said Lang had gotten free while police tried to handcuff him and Lang reached for his waistband.

When officials investigated the scene after the shooting, they found no gun and said Lang was carrying keys, a key fob and a dark "bulky" wallet.

"We know there was no gun," Lang's brother, Darren Lang, said at a press conference Thursday at the Sheraton hotel in Redding. "We know he was shot at close range with an assault rifle, and we understand that he was on his knees or on the ground when it happened."

Brother of Donnell Lang calls shooting 'outrageous' Darren Lang, brother of Donnell Lang, spoke at a press conference on Thursday announcing a lawsuit against the city of Redding and its police force.

Lang was a decorated 17-year Navy veteran who had post-traumatic stress disorder, said his mother, Diane Lang. She said her son had moved to Redding from southern California in search of a quieter life.

"When I heard he was shot and killed by police, I was absolutely shocked," she said, calling her son a kind and nonviolent person. "I’m hoping this lawsuit will help prevent this from happening to someone else's son."

The family has hired Los Angeles attorneys John C. Taylor and Louanne Masry of the Taylor & Ring law firm.

In the lawsuit's announcement, Taylor said he's asking the police for a copy of a video that shows Lang's final moments after the shooting. He said RPD has not provided the name of the officer who shot Lang.

Taylor is also asking for a re-evaluation of police training for similar circumstances, saying that, in Lang's situation, officers' training was either inadequate or ignored.

Taylor said Lang was doing nothing illegal and was a threat to no one before he was shot. He said Lang was compliant with police and got on the ground face down.

"It’s not a question of de-escalating the situation," Taylor said. "There was nothing that needed to be de-escalated."

Taylor said police didn't contact Lang's mother until five hours after the shooting. When they did, Taylor said, they started the conversation not by telling her they killed her son, but by saying they were getting back to her about a wellness check she had requested months prior.

After about 45 minutes asking Diane Lang about her son, they told her that an officer shot and killed him but couldn't specify what happened, according to Taylor.

"My brother’s body wasn’t even cold and the police were calling my mother, giving her a fake reason for the reason they were calling," Darren Lang said.

Taylor declined to answer the amount of financial restitution the family was seeking from the lawsuit. The complaint his team submitted to Shasta County Superior Court lists five causes of action:

Negligence

Violation of civil rights

Negligent hiring, training and supervision

Battery

Wrongful death

Asked for comment, the Redding City Attorney's Office said it doesn't weigh in on any pending litigation.

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Matt Brannon covers politics, the criminal justice system and breaking news for the Record Searchlight. Follow him on Twitter @MattBrannon_RS. Support local coverage and keep up with the North State for as little as $1 a month. Subscribe today.