Settlement Paid in Corpus Christi Police Shooting of Latino Man City -- $200,000 to victim's kin

• Paul Silvas was Beaten, Sprayed and Shot &  Killed by Police
  

City Council members agreed Tuesday to settle a lawsuit that arose out of the 2003 police shooting death of Paul Silvas. City Hall previously had denied any wrongdoing in Silvas' death, but council members voted 8-0 to pay Silvas' family $200,000 and settle the case before it goes to trial. Councilman Brent Chesney was absent. Deborah Golder, Silvas' common-law wife, would not comment about the settlement. In a written statement, city officials said they decided to settle the case because of "the potential cost of extended litigation, uncertainty of a jury trial and an inevitable appeal." Police officers Jason Lavastida and Donald Moore shot and killed Silvas, 27, on Oct. 23, 2003, outside of the Times Market at 4701 Greenwood Drive. Silvas' family said he cooperated with police and died unnecessarily. The officers said the deadly shooting was in self-defense. Lavastida and Moore, both bicycle officers, said they smelled marijuana coming from Silvas' parked teal four-door Ford Taurus, according to a statement by Police Chief Pete Alvarez after the shooting. The officers ordered Silvas out of the car, according to reports. The family's lawyer, Luis Cardenas, denied marijuana was being smoked. Silvas' family said police proceeded to beat him with batons and spray him with pepper spray when he sought safety in his car.Paul Silvas did not appear to be trying to run over two bicycle police officers, but tried to drive away when they began to shoot at him, a witness said."They already beat him with batons, sprayed him with pepper spray and he just kept telling them to leave him alone," said Adriana Trevino, 18. "He wasn't trying to run over them." Trevino watched Paul Silvas go outside after buying cigarettes, where he used the pay telephone and then got into his car, she said. "The cops got him out of the car and started hitting him with batons," Trevino said. "He just kept yelling 'leave me alone, leave me alone.'" She said after being hit repeatedly in the head and body, Silvas got away from police, slid back into his car and was trying to start the engine when one officer started spraying him with pepper spray and hitting him more with a baton. "Paul backed up and stopped because one of the officers was behind him," Trevino said. "The other one kept hitting him, then pulled a gun, and they both started saying they were going to shoot." [more] and [more] and [more]

Comments

[teacher]

It is unbelievable how they arrest people by abusing them and then trying to make up excuses. Just ride around downtown on evenings and video how they abuse many young men here in the city. More should come forward before they kill another. Many don't because they believe that the courts will believe the cops, but if more came forward, they could put a stop to the few bad apples. There are many good cops, but then when the bad apples abuse others, why don't they stop it --will they be signaled out? We the citizens pay their salaries and they should not forget this. We need a chief like Garrett.