Lawsuit Filed Against City, Officers In Knife-Wielding Man’s Shooting Death On Light Rail

By Robert J. Hansen | OBSERVER Staff Writer The father of a man who was shot and killed by police on a Regional Transit light rail in August is suing the city and two officers for failing to use de-escalation tactics. On Aug. 15, Sacramento police responded to a call about a man on the train with a large knife possibly experiencing a mental health crisis. Police at the time said two officers tried de-escalation techniques before 44-year-old Dante Day was shot multiple times. The lawsuit, filed April 17 by Oakland civil rights attorney John Burris, lists Day’s father, Derick, as the plaintiff and the City of Sacramento and the two officers as defendants. The officers’ names are not in the lawsuit. Burris could not be reached for comment. In the lawsuit, Derick Day alleges his son was deprived of his right to due process during his encounter with the officers on the train. Video of the incident in which Dante Day was shot and killed. Sacramento Police Department “Dante Day was in a state of severe emotional distress that day and did not harm or threaten any passengers. It also suggests that the officers did not take proper de-escalation...