Family of Man who was Shot and Killed while Surrendering Awarded $10 Million in Lawsuit

A federal jury in San Antonio has awarded more than $10 million to the family of a man who was fatally shot while surrendering to police.

Gilbert Flores, 41, had his arms in the air to surrender to two Bexar County Sheriff’s Deputies. In one of his hands he held a knife to forfeit to officers.

Deputies Greg Vasquez and Robert Sanchez fired their guns and struck Flores, killing him.

In 2015, when the incident took place, a grand jury declined to indict the deputies on criminal charges.

Flores’ family, hoping to get some justification, then filed a lawsuit claiming Flores’ constitutional rights were violated. The result of this lawsuit was announced on Thursday when the jury ruled in the family’s favor and they were awarded $10 million dollars.

Prior to the shooting, Flores’ mother called 911 to report her son for assaulting his wife and infant child. On the call, Flores can be heard saying he was going to die by “suicide by cop.”

Robert Wilson, the family’s attorney, argued in court that the deputies were not in any danger when they opened fire on Flores.

“You just don’t shoot somebody when they are standing still and surrendering,” Wilson said.

The deputies declined to comment after hearing the jury’s decision.