OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A mother has sued Omaha police over the death of her son who investigators say was shocked at least a dozen times with a stun gun and punched repeatedly while in custody.
U.S. District Court records say Renita Chalepah filed the wrongful death action Monday. It alleges that police used excessive force in illegally detaining her son Zachary Bearheels and didn’t get him proper treatment for his mental illness.
Omaha City Attorney Paul Kratz said Wednesday that the lawsuit was expected and that his office plans “on vigorously defending the city.”
Police video of the June 5, 2017, incident shows an officer using the stun gun on the 29-year-old Bearheels and another officer punching Bearheels outside an Omaha convenience store after Bearheels was on the ground.