Lawsuit Filed by the Family of Man Shot by Deputy

Scott Kappes

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The family of Miguel Angel Ramirez has filed a wrongful death case against Nueces County Sheriff's Department and the deputy that shot and killed Ramirez. Ramirez, 32, was shot 10 times by Deputy Burl Smith on June 7th of this year. Ramirez was along the side of Interstate 37 with an 18-inch machete. The sheriffs department says that Ramirez would not heed the warnings of the officers and refused to relinquish the weapon resulting in him being fatally wounded.

The family claims that Ramirez often suffered from seizures that would leave him disoriented and confused. They claim that the deputy should have recognized that Ramirez was in need of medical attention.

The wrongful death suit, filed last week by Ramirez's parents, Cirilo Ramirez of Rosanky and Maria Guzman of Arlington, accuses the county of failing to properly train and supervise its officers and claims the deputy used excessive force.

Deputy Smith was not indicted on any charges related to the case and has been well supported in his actions by the department. The Sheriff of Nueces County, Jim Kaelin, said that Smith acted in accordance with the law and his training.

"No amount of training, whether the person is mentally ill or not, would prevent a law enforcement authority from protecting himself from a machete attack," Kaelin said.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Wrongful Death.