A Los Angeles jury has ordered the city to pay $11 million to the two children of Wilver Blanco, a 42-year-old South LA man fatally shot by LAPD officers in May 2024, after finding the officers liable for battery and negligence in his death. The award will go to Blanco’s 9-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter, who won’t be able to access the money until they turn 18.
The verdict, reported Thursday by CBS Los Angeles, concerns what happened on the night of May 19, 2024. Police had responded to a call reporting an assault with a deadly weapon in South Los Angeles, with responding officers told that Blanco was possibly under the influence of narcotics and was chasing an elderly man. According to a 2024 statement from the department, officers arrived to find Blanco standing behind a vehicle holding a knife and ordered him several times to drop it before he allegedly ran toward one of them, prompting them to open fire.
The Los Angeles Police Department previously identified the two officers as Police Officer II Stefan Carutasu and Police Officer II Dominique Billew, both assigned to the Southeast Patrol Division, according to LAPD Online. Investigators said the shooting happened around 6:40 p.m. in the 100 block of West Colden Avenue and that an 8.5-inch folding knife with a 3.5-inch blade was recovered at the scene.
Attorney Says Officers Had Other Options
Blanco’s attorney, Christian Contreras, called the shooting unjustified, arguing at trial that officers had access to less-lethal options, including a Taser and pepper spray, but failed to use either before firing their weapons. Contreras said the officers acted as “judge, jury, and executioner,” per the same CBS Los Angeles account. Jurors found the officers liable for battery and negligence in Blanco’s death…