FRESNO -- The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department faces a wrongful death lawsuit over the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old.
Amy Pickering and Justin Mann, for the estate of Xander Mann, filed a federal complaint on July 19 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California against the County of Stanislaus, Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department, Jeff Dirkse, Gerardo Zazueta and Does 1-20 for excessive force, unwarranted interference with familial association, Tom Bane Civil Rights Act, assault/battery, negligence and wrongful death.
Pickering and Mann allege that on May 18, 2021, around 2 a.m., 16-year-old Xander Mann was driving his car with his friend in the front passenger seat and three friends in the back seat. Mann was then pulled over by Deputy Jesse Tovar for a minor traffic offense, and Tovar demanded that Mann roll down the window and turn off his vehicle, the suit says.
It is alleged that Xander then began to drive the vehicle away, which led to a police pursuit when Does 1-10 utilized a maneuver to force the vehicle to stop on a curb.
Deputies then surrounded the vehicle, while failing to activate body cameras, and Deputy Gerardo Zazueta shot Xander Mann on the left side of his head, the suit says.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of California case number 1:21-cv-01098-AWI-SKO