State Negotiates Settlement In Prisoner Shooting Lawsuit
The state has started settlement negotiations with the lawyer of the family of a Nevada prison inmate killed by shotgun blasts last year. The man’s family has filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit.
It was one year ago that inmate Carlos Manuel Perez Jr. was killed by shotgun blasts fired by a corrections officer trainee at High Desert State Prison. According the lawsuit, Perez was fighting with another inmate, Andrew Arevalo, at the time of the shooting. The suit alleges that, while the two inmates were fighting, the corrections officer simply opened fire on them both.
Arevalo, the other prisoner involved, is still in prison. However, he was also seriously injured by the same shotgun blasts that killed Perez. As a result, he has filed a separate lawsuit, alleging excessive force.