Edwards Files Claim Against the City

A driver whose passenger was shot to death by Pasadena police officers has filed a claim against the city. Ameka Edwards was in the front seat of her car when officers shot Leroy Barnes Jr. during a confrontation that began in the backseat of her car on Feb. 19 after Barnes reportedly pointed a gun at one of them during a traffic stop.

“On Thursday Feb. 19, 2009 at 4:20 p.m. I was driving on Washington and Mentone Ave. when the officer pulled over my vehicle with no reason and the one to my right opened fire against my car and killed my passenger,” Edwards said in the claim.

The claim was filed on April 14 and asks for $200,000. A claim is the first step in filing a civil lawsuit. The city has 45 days to respond.

Barnes’ family has also filed a wrongful death claim.

Police say they saw Edwards parked on the wrong side of the street talking to several young men who dispersed when they approached, except for Barnes who entered the back seat of Edwards’ car.

Police pulled the car over, and say that Barnes refused to remove his hands from a bag he was carrying and later pulled a gun out of the bag and pointed it at officers who shot him. Officers say they were forced to open fire again after Barnes got out of the car with his gun in his hand.

Barnes was on felony parole for assault with a deadly weapon.

During an interview with Tami Kimball of Crown City News, Edwards said that after officers pulled her over they first approached the car like the incident was a traffic stop, but never got the chance to talk to her because one officer yelled, “he has a gun.” After that she said the door flew open and the shots were fired.

Police Chief Bernard Melekian initially reported on the day of incident that Barnes got out of the backseat of the vehicle and began firing a handgun at officers. The next day Melekian said Barnes did not shoot at officers and was in the backseat struggling with an officer when he was shot.

Melekian and police commanders initiated the involvement of the Los Angeles County Office of Independent Review to supplement investigations by the Los Angeles District Attorney and the FBI already underway into the incident.

Video footage of the shooting captured by a dashboard-mounted camera in a police cruiser has not been released by the city attorney’s office and earlier this month a judge in Los Angeles issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the city from releasing the names of the police officers.