LOS ANGELES : Shooting of Man by Police Ruled Justified
Rejecting claims of police brutality and a cover-up in the Los Angeles Police Department, a federal court jury ruled Tuesday that officers were justified in shooting Tujunga gunsmith John Gersboll at least seven times in a 1990 raid.
The case stemmed from an anonymous tip of drug dealing that lead police to raid the Gersboll home on Tujunga Canyon Boulevard the night of Jan. 23, 1990. Receiving no response to their knocks, officers broke down the door with a hand-held battering ram and Officers Larry Voelker and David Nila shot Gersboll at least seven times, saying he had pointed a gun and refused to stop advancing.
Gersboll said he dropped the gun when he realized he was confronting police. The shooting left him partially paralyzed in one leg.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
