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Fed'l Court Jury Says LBPD Officer Didn't Use Excessive Force In Fatal Shooting of CSULB-Bound Honor-Student Feras Morad

LBPOA issues this statement


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(July 12, 2018, 9:46 p.m., updated July 13, 2018, 2:50 p.m.) -- A federal court jury has decided that a Long Beach Police Officer didn't use excessive force when he shot and killed CSULB-bound honor student Feras Morad on May 27, 2015 in the 4600 block of E. 15th St. (a few blocks south of the Traffic Circle.)

  • Details of today's (July 12) jury verdict via Courthouse News Service are at this link.

  • For details of testimony and attorneys' arguments leading up to today's verdict, see Courthouse News Service at this link.

The plaintiffs' attorneys and the LB City Attorney's office didn't issue immediate statements. [We'll add them as received.]

The Long Beach Police Officers Association issued this statement on its Facebook page.

We are thankful for the jury’s thoughtful consideration of the specific circumstances involved in this incident. No officer ever wants to be involved in a shooting, yet police officers are occasionally thrust into no-win dangerous situations where they have to make split-second decisions.

We appreciate the hard work of everyone involved who helped provide the jury with the facts of this case. This event has been devastating for everyone involved.

We hope those people who provided Mr. Morad with the drugs he ingested are finally brought to justice for causing this tragedy.

[Scroll down for further.]




This wasn't a criminal case; it was a civil trial in which a jury verdict for the plaintiffs (Mr. Morad's familymembers) could have brought monetary damages for familymembers, payable by defendants that included the City of Long Beach.

As previously reported by LBREPORT.com, on Sept. 12, 2017, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office issued a report on the LBPD officer-involved shooting that killed Mr. Morad, 20, a CSULB-bound award-winning debater. The DA's report included a lengthy and (in our opinion) disturbing narrative of what occurred. The DA's 2017 report can be viewed in full by clicking this link.

The DA's office concluded that the officer involved "had an honest belief in the need for self-defense and defense of others when he used deadly force" against Mr. Morad, and the DA's office found "insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt" that the officer-involved "committed the crime of voluntary manslaughter with a firearm."

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On July 22, 2015, attorneys for Mr. Morad's family announced the filing of a $28 million [at that time] claim against City of Long Beach. (A claim is prerequisite to filing a lawsuit.)

To view extended video of the July 22, 2015 event (including reporters' Q & A), click here.


July 22, 2015: Attorney Dan Stormer speaks to reporters; Mr. Morad's sister, mother and father also visible in photo (left of Mr. Stormer) also spoke.

The filed claim alleged that "medical emergency personnel did nothing to help the injured, bleeding and disoriented Mr. Morad. Because he was confused and badly injured, the unarmed Mr. Morad did not understand the commands that [the officer] aggressively yelled at him...Mr. Morad was not violent, aggressive or intimidating and did not threaten [the officer.]...Back-up officers were on the way from the nearby [LBPD station.]"

The filed claim alleged that the officer involved in the shooting, plus LBPD, LBFD and the City, among others, violated claimants' rights "due to their negligence, assault and battery of Mr. Morad, inflicting of emotional distress and Mr. Morad's wrongful death...It is further believed that [LBPD, LBFD and City] permit various practices that cause or allow constitutional violations to occur, such as those that caused this case."

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At the July 2015 press event, among the issues raised by reporters was Mr. Morad having allegedly ingested some type of hallucinogenic substance/drug (Q & A begins at 21:00 minutes into the video.) During the Q & A, attorney Dan Stormer didn't deny ingestion of a hallucinogenic substance/drug (said "we don't know exactly they [drugs] got in his system") but emphatically denied as "hogwash" some content in LBPD's news release on the shooting which can be viewed here.

[UPDATE] On July 13, the LB City Attorney's office issued a statement which can be viewed here. [END UPDATE] here.

Reaction to the verdict from the family's lawyers will be reported as received.

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