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DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF News ) – After years of legal wrangling, jury selection in the civil trial against the City of Dallas and four Dallas police officers in the 2016 death of Tony Timpa began Monday morning.
Timpa died in August 10, 2016 after calling 911 for help. He told dispatch he was schizophrenic, off his medication and had taken cocaine.
Responding officers Dustin Dillard, Keven Mansell, Danny Vasquez and Raymond Dominguez handcuffed Timpa and pinned him down for fourteen minutes. Timpa eventually lost consciousness, attempts to revive him were unsuccessful and he died while in custody.
The Dallas County Medical Examiner ruled Timpa’s death a homicide, citing the toxic effects of cocaine and physiological stress associated with physical restraint.
Three of the four responding officers were indicted on misdemeanor deadly conduct charges but their cases were dismissed.
Timpa’s family initially filed a civil complaint in 2016 but a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year paved the way for a trial to begin. The courts ruled the officers violated Timpa’s constitutional rights.
The family is seeking damages for a myriad of allegations including wrongful death, false imprisonment, assault and battery, negligence and gross negligence, negligent hiring and supervision and survival action.
At a press conference in 2021, Timpa’s mother Vicki said she was elated to hear of a ruling in her family’s favor by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
“I thought I was asleep. I was awake. I slapped my face and cried,” she said.
Two years after that, she and her family are getting their day in court.
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