18-year-old man who was shot in the back by Sacramento deputies files lawsuit

An 18-year-old man who was shot by a Sacramento Sheriff’s deputy in the back has sued the county.

The lawsuit, which names the county, Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Jim Cooper and Deputy Nathaniel Davis, was filed Tuesday in federal court.

Marquis Chapple was a passenger in a vehicle parked in front of a south Sacramento convenience store March 5 when a Sheriff’s patrol vehicle with three deputies pulled up behind them with its lights on. In response the driver pulled out a handgun which he tossed to Chapple and told him to run, the lawsuit alleged.

Chapple ran with the gun but not pointing it, for about seven steps, when Davis shot three bullets at Chapple’s back, the lawsuit stated. Two rounds hit Chapple, one in the leg, and the other in his back.

Davis never gave Chapple an opportunity to surrender, the lawsuit states.

While he was bleeding face down, Davis twisted Chapple’s arms behind his back, put him in handcuffs, and drove his knee into his back, which was a violation of his training, the lawsuit alleges.

Chapple was transported to the hospital where he stayed for about a week prior to being booked in the jail, the lawsuit states.

Chapple faces charges of assault on a peace officer with a semiautomatic firearm and carrying a loaded firearm, the Sacramento Observer has reported.

“This is a perfect example of what not to do,” said Mark Merin, a civil rights attorney representing Chapple. “To shoot at someone who’s running away from you, who’s not posing a threat to you, who’s clearly fleeing a scene and you have no information that the person has committed a crime ... It shows a shocking lack of training and seems to be a disdain for the lives of persons.”

Sheriff spokesman Sgt. Amar Gandhi declined comment on the lawsuit.

Last month Gandhi told reporters that deputies had located and followed a silver Ford Escape SUV with an expired registration tag. The SUV pulled into a strip mall. The video the Sheriff’s Office released shows the vehicle attempting to back out of its parking spot when deputies blocked its path and activated its police lights.

A family member told The Bee previously that Chapple had just graduated high school and was struggling with mental health issues.

A state law that went into effect in 2019 requires California law enforcement agencies to release all video and records regarding officer-involved shootings within 45 days, unless a criminal case has been filed regarding the incident. So far the Sheriff’s Office has released the video and audio clips of the Chapple shooting. They have yet to release disciplinary records about the incident.

This is the second lawsuit filed this week against the Sheriff’s Office regarding deputies shooting people who were allegedly not pointing weapons toward them. The family of Christopher Gilmore, whom deputies fatally shot while he was experiencing a mental health crisis at his Rio Linda home, sued the county Tuesday.

The Sheriff’s Office has not released the names of those deputies who were involved, or whether they have been disciplined.

The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office is reviewing the incident to determine if it should charge the deputies criminally. Since 2015, the office has never filed charges on a Sacramento law enforcement officer for a shooting while on duty.

The Bee’s Ishani Desai contributed to this report.