Claim Filed Against City by Family of Man Fatally Shot by Police in Midway District

Channel 10News has broken the story that a claim against the City of San Diego has been made by the family of the man fatally shot by police in the Midway District at the end of April. The claim alleges that the police officer involved used excessive and unreasonable force, violating the civil rights of Fridoon Rawshan Nehad, the victim.

Nehad was shot by Officer Neal N. Browder in the alley outside an adult bookstore near Rosecrans Blvd. on April 30th.

The claim calls for the city to compensate Nehad’s estate and his parents for  damages in an amount of $20 million.  A claim such as this is the first step in a lawsuit.

The family’s attorney, Skip Miller, filed the claim, which alleges that Officer Browder shot an unarmed man and accuses the San Diego Police Department of covering it up by not releasing surveillance video of the shooting.

The claim outlines ‘facts giving rise to the claim’ and lists how Nehad grew up in Afghanistan, served in the Afghan army as a teen, and that he was kidnapped by a Taliban predecessor, and then sent to Germany for over a dozen years by his family. He then joined his family in San Diego.

But Nehad had mental health issues, and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. His family was helping him.

The claim states:

• Nehad was getting treatment for PTSD but would become manic.
• Nehad was walking downtown in the Midway District April 30 when San Diego police officer Neal Browder responded to a 911 call from an adult bookstore that had come in at midnight.
• Nehad was not carrying a weapon and not doing anything wrong. Browder did not activate his siren, lights or body camera.
• Nehad’s pace slowed when the officer approached and he was about 20 feet away when the officer shot him.
• the police department is attempting “to spin” the story against Nehad by telling the media that Nehad was holding a shiny object, falsely suggesting he had a knife, and refusing to release the video.

Attorney Miller told 10News that police erred in the shooting:

“Unprovoked, unarmed, absolutely no reason to use deadly force, to use a side arm. Shot him twice. Killed him.”

“They’ve taken the video and are basically holding it hostage, covering for the officer. Sometimes the cover-up is as bad or worse than the crime and that’s exactly what’s going on here.”