Los Angeles Cop Killed During Training in Mob Simulation
Los Angeles cop Houston Tipping was beaten to death by his fellow officers during a training exercise in a mob simulation, according to his mother.
KTLA News reported that Tipping died of neck injuries. He was hurt on May 26 at the police academy and died three days later.
Tipping's funeral was attended by police Chief Michel Moore and Mayor Eric Garcetti.
The late Los Angeles cop's mother, Shirley Huffman, filed her notice of claim against the city on Friday, wherein she alleged wrongful death and civil rights violations.
Huffman claims that her son was "repeatedly struck in the head severely enough that he bled," while saying that Tipping suffered multiple breaks in his neck. The claim also alleges that the training exercise "has already been questioned" before the Los Angeles cop was hurt because of injuries suffered by other officers.
Training Exercise Mob Simulation
The training exercise was meant to simulate a mob, according to a New York Daily News report.
The Los Angeles Police Department said that Tipping had been "grappling with another officer" when he fell and suffered a catastrophic spinal injury at the time of his death.
Huffman's lawsuit noted that Moore stated that Tipping impressed his peers with a "willingness to go the extra mile to make the world a better place."
However, it was not enough to "avoid other officers paralyzing him and eventually killing him in violation of law and his civil rights," the lawsuit added.
LAPD officers carried the casket of the late police officer and was buried on Wednesday at a public funeral.
Los Angeles Cop Killed
Capt. Kelly Muniz, an LAPD spokeswoman, said on Friday that the department could not comment on the allegations or the nature of the training exercise. However, Muniz said that the department is taking the matter seriously and has started its own investigation into the incident.
Muniz commented on the passing of Tipping, saying that it is "tragic and we're all saddened by his loss," according to a Los Angeles Times report.
Huffman's claims call for unspecified financial compensation, including punitive damages from the city. The lawsuit also called for the city to preserve all evidence in the matter, covering "videos of the entire training exercise," and actions that were done against Tipping.
Bradley Gage, an attorney for Huffman, said that the allegations were based on interviews he has conducted with witnesses to the events and others with knowledge of them.
Tipping suffered injuries to two parts of his head and to four vertebrae. The five-year police veteran had worked as a patrol officer in the Devonshire Division, covering Northridge, Reseda, Chatsworth, and other parts of the north San Fernando Valley.
Moore knelt before Tipping's parents and gave them a folded American flag.
Meanwhile, other officers involved in the Los Angeles cop's death have not been named.
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Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: Mother of fallen LAPD officer files wrongful death claim against City of LA - from CBS Los Angeles