Mother of Man Slain by Police Files Suit
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The mother of a schizophrenic man killed last month by Hawthorne police a few hours after he escaped from a psychiatric ward filed a $10-million lawsuit Thursday alleging the Police Department is biased against blacks.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court, alleges that Hawthorne police used excessive and unreasonable force against Terence Williams, 20, and thereby deprived him of his civil rights. Williams, who was unarmed, was shot to death July 1 after a scuffle with police that left one officer with a broken nose and another with facial injuries.
Hawthorne Police Chief Stephen Port said he would not comment because he had not seen the suit. Investigations into the shooting are continuing.
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