Verdict backs Corona officers in Killing of Arabic Man who had a Broom

A civil jury decided Thursday in favor of the city of Corona and three of its police officers in a wrongful-death lawsuit. Abdullah Fakhry died in December 2001 after a confrontation in his home with Corona officers. The family sued the city, claiming the officers' actions caused the 56-year-old man's death. On Dec. 9, 2001, officers responded to an apartment after a neighbor reported hearing a disturbance. Fakhry assured the officers nothing was wrong and didn't want to let them in, according to court testimony. But officers were obligated to make sure no one had been victimized, so they entered the apartment. Fakhry picked up a broom at one point and appeared threatening, according to court transcripts. The officers used pepper spray on him and subdued him. But Fakhry stopped breathing during the ordeal and an emergency worker gave him CPR. Fakhry died about nine days later, and the family believed the officers' actions caused his death. A critical issue debated in Riverside County Superior Court was whether the officers' use of force was reasonable. Jurors sided with the officers. Farzana Fakhry  said she believed the still-fresh events of Sept. 11, 2001, played a role.She said her father warned his children not to do anything irrational if approached by the police, she said. "The cops acted like criminals," Farzana Fakhry said. "My father was not violent." [more ]