APD’s history of using excessive force is a long one. Over the years, dozens of lawsuits, reports, and articles have pointed to a pattern of APD officers using more force than reasonable without receiving adequate discipline. Many settlements later, the department continues to battle excessive-force claims, such as the recently decided trial over the allegedly wrongful death of Alex Gonzales Jr.
On January 5, 2021, Gonzales Jr. encountered off-duty officer Gabriel Gutierrez while driving his girlfriend and her infant son to the store to buy baby formula. The men pulled up next to each other, and within 2.7 seconds, Officer Gutierrez fired eight shots into Gonzales’ car.
Gutierrez then called 911, telling the operator he was off-duty APD who “had shots fired.” Responding to his call, Officer Luis Serrato then shot and killed Gonzales after he failed to comply with verbal commands, reaching into his car’s backseat. The on-duty officers say they did not know that a baby was in the backseat…