The trial of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy accused of fatally shooting an unarmed man in 2016 began on Wednesday.
Luke Liu, 42, faces a charge of voluntary manslaughter for the on-duty shooting of Francisco Garcia outside a 7-Eleven in the Cerritos area five years ago. The case, filed two years later, was the first of its kind in L.A. County in nearly two decades.
Liu allegedly fired seven shots at the 26-year-old man, who was in a vehicle at the time. Garcia was struck by four of the seven rounds in the lower back, shoulders, and knees.
Witnesses testified at a hearing in 2019 that Liu pulled Garcia from the car after firing the shots and performed CPR on him before paramedics arrived on the scene. Garcia later died from his wounds while being treated at an area hospital.
In a statement released by the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office after Liu was charged, then D.A. Jackie Lacey said, "We believe the officer's use of deadly force was unjustified and unreasonable under the circumstances."
A prosecutor with the D.A.’s office told jurors on Wednesday that Liu shot Garcia after approaching the vehicle the deceased was driving at the time, a white 1993 Acura Integra. The vehicle had been reported as stolen and was stopped at a nearby gas station.
The prosecution said Garcia was unarmed at the time, and “posed no threat to anyone,” and alleged Liu provided several, conflicting explanations for why he shot the man, including that he had been struck by the car.
A doctor who examined Liu after the incident reported no bruising or injuries of any kind, according to the prosecution.
The defense countered that evidence to be presented at trial, including surveillance footage showing the encounter between Liu and Garcia, would ultimately vindicate the deputy, who has claimed he discharged his weapon out of fear for his life.
Liu was a 10-year veteran of the sheriff’s department at the time of the shooting, and was assigned to the Cerritos Sheriff’s Station. He was placed on administrative leave in December 2018.
A spokesperson for the Cerritos station told KNX 1070 that leave will remain in place for the duration of Liu’s trial. If cleared, the department will launch its own internal investigation of what occurred in 2016. If convicted, the department will initiate termination proceedings against Liu.
L.A. County agreed in 2018 to pay Garcia's family $1.75 million to settle a wrongful-death lawsuit stemming from the shooting.
This is a developing story.
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