The attorney for the family of a man who a cellphone video shows had his arms outstretched as he was shot to death by a San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy in Redlands announced on Thursday, April 3, that he has filed a wrongful death claim seeking $30 million in damages.
The claim is a legally required precursor to a lawsuit and must be accepted or rejected by the county Board of Supervisors within 45 days.
Redlands resident Jefte Vargas Ramirez, 37, died after being shot on the railroad right of way west of California Street on Dec. 16, 2024.
“The family, they want justice,” attorney Dale K. Galipo said at a news conference near the shooting site. “And justice is accountability.”
More than a dozen family members and friends attended the news conference. Many wore shirts with Vargas Ramirez’s picture that bore the words “In Loving Memory of Jefte Vargas Ramirez.”
The Sheriff’s Department declined to comment on the claim and referred a reporter to its December news release.
The release said that a deputy went to the location between Nevada and California streets around 7:26 a.m. after someone reported a person trespassing on the tracks. The deputy told Vargas Ramirez to leave but he refused to do so and became “confrontational” with the deputy, the release said.
“Vargas Ramirez armed himself with rocks in both hands, approached the deputy in an aggressive manner, and a lethal force encounter occurred,” the release said.
The cellphone video, posted by KCAL TV and without audio, shows Vargas Ramirez talking with the deputy before walking toward him. Vargas Ramirez raises his arms at his sides, and he is shot.
Galipo said he couldn’t tell whether Vargas Ramirez was holding rocks, but he said Vargas Ramirez’s palms were open. He believes he was unarmed.
“I don’t view that in any way as approaching aggressively,” Galipo said. “I think he’s walking slowly.”
The state Department of Justice, which investigates fatal police shootings of unarmed civilians, is not probing this case.
Vargas Ramirez’s brother, Yoni Vargas, 44, and sister, Nubia Vargas, 49, said Vargas Ramirez was a tradesman who loved to cook and work on cars. He would dream up new dishes for Yoni Vargas’ food truck and retooled three cars so the steering wheel and other controls were on the right side.
Both said he “always prioritized his love for his family.” He had children in elementary and high school and a female partner for the past 18 years.
Yoni Vargas said his brother that morning drove a daughter to school before taking off on one of his frequent walks during which he would sometimes give food to homeless people.
“It’s hard to talk about it. It hurts,” Yoni Vargas said.
The Sheriff’s Department has not released body-worn camera videos or the deputy’s name, Galipo said.
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