Judge: 5 officers wrongly fired in killing of homeless man

A Northern California judge ruled that 5 Oakland policeman who fatally shot a homeless man in 2018 were unjustly fired and ought to have kept their jobsByThe Associated PressApril 15, 2022, 8:17 PM – 2 min readShare to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleOAKLAND, Calif.– A Northern California judge ruled that 5 Oakland law enforcement officer who fatally shot a homeless male in 2018 were unjustly fired and ought to have kept their jobs.Alameda County Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch said in his judgment released Tuesday that Oakland city workers “poorly controlled” an outside private investigators report that initially concluded the officers were unjustly fired and need to have kept their tasks, the East Bay Times reported Thursday.The officers fatally shot Joshua Pawlik, 31, in North Oakland on March 11, 2018. Pawlik was equipped and asleep in a little area between two houses. Officers rustled him from his sleep and said they fired at him since he would not put down the gun.Four of the officers– William Berger, Brandon Hraiz, Craig Tanaka and Sgt. Francisco Negrete– fired weapons and Officer Josef Philips shot a bean bag.Karen Boyd, Oaklands interactions director, said in a declaration that city authorities “abided by the letter and spirit of the labor contract, and think the Court erred in discovering otherwise.””We stay committed to guaranteeing our workers are afforded due process in all disciplinary processes,” she added. She did not state whether the city would appeal the decision.Michael Rains, an attorney who represented the officers, said the judges decision clears the path to enable them to either go back to work for the Oakland Police Department or get retroactive pay. Its unclear what the officers will do, Rains stated, including that many of them are now working for other law enforcement agencies.In 2020, the Oakland City Council concurred to pay $1.4 million to Pawliks mother to settle a wrongful death suit.