“I plead for months and to no avail,” Lopez said, adding, “I haven’t received condolences.”
The silence convinced Lopez that her father’s death was a “senseless act of hate.” Officials say Michael Thomas, a disabled 61-year-old Black man, was fatally shot as he grabbed a deputy’s gun during a struggle at his home, a claim his family disputes. The Sheriff’s Department announced recently that the deputy who shot Thomas has been taken off patrol assignments pending the outcome of an investigation into the killing.
It’s been almost six years since the Sheriff’s Department agreed to implement sweeping measures to improve policing in the Antelope Valley, after a federal investigation found a pattern of unreasonable force, intimidation, and unlawful stops and searches among Black and Latino residents. But according to monitors overseeing the settlement agreement, progress has been slow, with crucial reforms in areas such as use-of-force policy, community engage