Location: Sacramento, California
Co-Counsel: Disability Law United; BraunHagey & Borden LLP
Case Summary:
Jaime Naranjo was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and pillar of his community. On the morning of September 28, 2022, Mr. Naranjo was experiencing an acute mental-health crisis and asked his wife, Elisa Daher, to call 911 for emergency health services. But the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office (“SCSO”) did not dispatch a medical or behavioral health team in response to Ms. Daher’s call. Instead, SCSO dispatched a patrol officer, Deputy Andrew Seidel, who lacked any skill in crisis intervention and who had a history of using excessive force. Within mere seconds of arriving on the scene, Deputy Seidel shot and killed Mr. Naranjo in his front yard, while his wife watched in horror.
After witnessing her husband’s brutal shooting, Ms. Daher pleaded with the additional SCSO officers who had arrived on the scene for permission to accompany her dying husband to the hospital. But the officers refused her request, and instead proceeded to treat her like a criminal suspect. SCSO detained Ms. Daher for hours, denying her access to her home and her essential medications, while they raided her home for evidence they could use to retroactively justify Deputy Seidel’s use of lethal force.
Sadly, SCSO’s inappropriate response to Mr. Naranjo’s mental-health crisis and its unjust treatment of Ms. Daher in the wake of her husband’s death are not isolated incidents.S acramento County has a long history of responding to individuals in crisis with excessive–and often lethal–force instead of the crisis intervention and therapeutic care needed. NPAP is suing to get justice for Mr. Naranjo, Ms. Daher, and to prevent SCSO from harming anyone else in the same manner.
In the News:
- ‘I called for help.’ Family wants change after crisis ends in fatal Sacramento deputy shooting | Sacramento Bee
- Family of mentally ill man with machete killed by sheriff’s deputy sues Sacramento County | Sacramento Bee
Case Filing: