Iosia Faletogo
Iosia Faletogo, 36, died in police custody in Seattle in December 2018.
Officers pulled his car over and he allegedly tried to escape. Officers started a chase. When officers apprehended him, they forced him to the ground.
On a body cam footage one of the officers is heard telling Faletogo stop resisting arrest, otherwise he will get shot. In a few seconds one of the officers shot Faletogo. He died at the scene.
In a year after the shooting police said the shooting was justified. In March 2021 Faletogo’s parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the officer and the city.
MASS MEDIA ABOUT THE CASE:
“After he was forced to the ground, an officer announced that Mr. Faletogo ‘dropped the gun.’ Once he complied with commands by dropping the gun, officers could have safely resolved the situation by picking up the gun,” a lawyer representing Faletogo’s family said.
Newsweek
“In lieu of any other explanation about why the car looked ‘shady,’ it stands to reason that the officers’ attention was captured – either explicitly or implicitly – by the fact that Iosia was a Pacific Islander man riding in a car with a Black woman in a predominantly white neighborhood in North Seattle,” the lawsuit reads.
Asam News
CASE STATUS:
The initiative group has requested the clarification from US President Joseph Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland. The initiative group believes it is important to fight against police violence and, if necessary, will provide legal and financial assistance to the family of the victim.
Letter to Biden
Letter to Garland
