A jury has issued a mixed verdict against a group of Las Vegas officers in a federal civil trial in connection with the fatal shooting of an armed protester in 2020.
Two officers, including one who did not fire a fatal shot, were found liable, and damages were set at $6.5 million. The jury did not rule against three other officers.
Black Lives Matter protester Jorge Gomez, 25, was shot and killed on the third night of protests over the murder of George Floyd.
Gomez’s family sued the officers who shot at Gomez and the Metropolitan Police Department, leading to the two-week trial.
A key issue at trial was whether Gomez had pointed a rifle at police before he was shot. Officers who fired the shots testified that he had, but attorneys for Gomez’s family denied the claim.
The Clark County district attorney’s office decided not to prosecute the four Metro officers who fired rounds: Ryan Fryman, Dan Emerton, Andrew Locher and Vernon Ferguson.
Jury deliberations began Wednesday afternoon.
On Thursday, jurors asked U.S. District Judge Richard Boulware whether their verdict needed to be unanimous or could be a majority vote. He instructed them at the verdict had to be unanimous.
The jury asked in a later note about the next steps if they could not reach a decision. “I understand that to mean that they’re deadlocked,” the judge said to attorneys.
Jurors were given Friday off due to concerns of child care on Nevada Day, and they resumed deliberations Monday morning.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.
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