2015/01/31

VICTORVILLE — A left-behind family of a man killed by cops has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against San Bernardino County for excessive force.

Dante Parker was electrocuted as many as 27 times as cops shot him repeatedly with a Taser gun, according to the lawsuit.

Dante’s five children and his wife were devastated when he died after the electrical shock.

The incident occurred when Dante dropped his children off at school.

After he left them in school, he went on a bike ride around 4 PM.

He was riding his bike down Luna Rd when he was stopped by Officer Irwin.

Officer Irwin claimed to be responding to a report about a suspicious black male who was attempting to break into houses.

It is presumed that at some point during the questioning, an argument ensued, though the lawsuit does not specify.

At one point during the interaction, Officer Irwin began shooting Dante with a Taser gun, electrocuting his body and causing his muscles to involuntarily tighten and contract.

Other cops quickly arrived at the scene and began Tasing Dante even more, at least 25 times until his body became limp and he fell to the ground.

The cops then hogtied Dante’s limp body as he begged and said “I can’t breathe.”

They then lifted him up while he was hogtied and pushed him into the back seat of a police car, face down.

The inside of the police car was scorching hot as the weather outside reached almost 100 degrees.

Shortly thereafter, Dante’s heart stopped and he was pronounced dead.

The Sheriff Department’s defense is that Dante was “combative” with the officer, causing the officer to “fear for life.”

But Dante’s family believes the police murdered their father.

The family is suing for an unspecified amount in damages.

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Update: Jun 23, 2016

A federal judge approved a $250,000 global settlement between San Bernardino County and the family of Dan’te Parker, a deal described Thursday as having “made the most sense” by an attorney representing Parker’s wife and five children.

Judge Virginia A. Phillips approved the settlement June 17, federal court records show, effectively putting the stamp on litigation that came in the wake of Parker’s in-custody death on Aug. 12, 2014.

“I would describe it as the most favorable of outcomes for all involved parties, plaintiffs and defendants alike,” attorney Mark Eisenberg told the Daily Press.

Eisenberg, who represented Bianca Parker and her five kids, said they would gross at least $210,000 of the settlement, but he could not immediately detail the net money they would receive after legal and other fees.

Additionally, Parker’s mother, Deltra Denise Paulk McCoy, would receive $20,000 in gross money, while Parker’s father, Darrell Parker, would receive at least $10,000 in gross compensation, Eisenberg said.

An additional $10,000 remains in dispute and could be distributed to either Bianca or Darrell Parker, he said.

Parker, 36, died not long after being taken into custody as a residential burglary suspect in the 12400 block of Luna Road in Victorville. He was combative with responding deputies and under the influence of phencyclidine (PCP), according to authorities and the coroner’s report.

He was stunned with a Taser as many as 12 times during the scrum. The District Attorney’s office later concluded that deputies were justified in their use of force, outlining in a report the details of the altercation gleaned from interviews with 15 deputies or witnesses.

At least four deputies were involved in the scuffle, with some telling the DA’s office that Parker didn’t appear to be in the right frame of mind as they recalled his “profuse sweating, dilated eyes and rapid pulse.”