Trial begins in mans fatal encounter with Chula Vista Police NBC 7 San Diego [Video]

Chula Vista police officers responding to a man’s mental health crisis contributed to his death by needlessly escalating the situation and using unreasonable force against him, attorneys for the man’s family argued Wednesday, while an attorney representing the city said the officers acted in accordance with their training and properly responded to an event that started to turn violent.

Opening statements and witness testimony were delivered Wednesday in the civil trial stemming from wrongful death lawsuits filed by family members of Oral Nunis, 56, who died on March 13, 2020, shortly after officers responded to Nunis’ daughter’s home.

Nunis’ family members called 911 at around midnight after he tried to jump from a second-story window at the home.

Jamon Hicks, one of the attorneys representing the Nunis family, told a San Diego federal jury that after 911 was called, Nunis was willing to undergo a mental health evaluation.

“He knew he needed help,” Hicks said. “He could …