Dallas (WBAP/KLIF) – The Mesquite man who was shot by a police officer while breaking into his own truck has filed a federal lawsuit against the city.
Lyndo Jones said former Mesquite police officer Derick Wiley used excessive force when unlawfully arresting him in November.
Wiley said Jones tried evading arrest after a scuffle, but JONES said Wiley was shouting expletives at him and held him by the neck with a gun to his head.
Jones’ attorney Lee Merritt said Wiley had a history of being aggressive and that the city of Mesquite should be held accountable.
“The City of Mesquite either knew or should have known about this behavior and its potential to escalate into something like the shooting of Mr. Jones,” he said.
He ended up being shot three times in the back and torso the civil rights lawsuit also accuses city leaders of knowingly keeping aggressive officers employed and not doing enough to discipline them.
Merritt said it’s a situation that could and should have been prevented. He said he hopes the lawsuit sends a message.
“Not only to the City of Mesquite but to the surrounding communities and really throughout the country…that police departments have a responsibility to supervise, to train and to monitor their officers behaviors,” said Merritt.
Wiley was fired from the police department after the incident.
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