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The household of an Oakland father allegedly shot and killed by a mentally-unstable neighbor squatting subsequent door believes regulation enforcement’s inaction led to their cherished one’s tragic demise, a lawsuit alleges.
The household positioned about two-dozen calls to 911 in regards to the squatter’s alleged harassment within the lead-up to the May 2020 capturing demise of wealth administration banker Miles Armstead as he was transferring out his not too long ago bought house, according to the lawsuit obtained by KRON.
The wrongful demise go well with, filed in opposition to the Oakland Police Department and Alameda County probation officers this month, claims authorities have blood on their arms as a result of they didn’t intervene as homicide suspect Jamal Thomas endlessly harassed the household earlier than the slaying.
Thomas allegedly threw rocks at Armstead’s house, threatened to set it on hearth and even injured Armstead’s spouse when damaged glass struck her, the lawsuit alleges. But when Armstead referred to as police for assist, officers “complained” the incidents weren’t vital sufficient, in keeping with the lawsuit.
One officer instructed Thomas and Armstead they have been each “appearing like 12-year-old women,” the go well with alleged.
“Mr. Thomas had apparent psychological well being points which contributed to him experiencing violent, uncontrollable but persistent outbursts,” the Armstead household’s lawyer wrote, arguing police’s inaction emboldened Thomas to kill the 44-year-old father of 4.
“Miles was actually cleansing up the entrance yard of the home he had bought in worry of Jamal Thomas when Thomas chased him down and shot him,” the lawsuit states.
Thomas is being held on homicide and assault fees, in keeping with KRON. He pleaded not responsible to the homicide cost, the Sacramento Bee reported.
When Armstead died, he had three youngsters from a previous relationship, in addition to step-daughter and one other youngster on the way in which. His spouse was pregnant with the couple’s first youngster, Fox 8 reported. He was a wealth manager for Fremont Bank.
Armstead and his household purchased the house in 2017. Two years later Thomas started his “marketing campaign of terror,” the lawsuit claims.
Thomas and his household have been evicted in Aug. 2019, however the 46-year-old returned to the home two months later as a squatter.
The Armsteads mentioned they have been harassed and threatened by Thomas quite a few occasions from Thanksgiving 2019 on, however police by no means arrested the reported squatter. At one level, the household boarded up their house to guard themselves and filed a restraining order in opposition to Thomas, the lawsuit states.
Thomas was lastly taken into custody two months earlier than the deadly capturing for allegedly making threats.
But probation officers by no means adopted up with him as a part of supervised launch after he was let loose of jail earlier than his trial and the harassment continued till it led to homicide, the household argues.
“The County is complicit within the killing of Mr. Armstead,” household lawyer Adante Pointer mentioned, in keeping with Fox 8.
“Thomas was purportedly on the very best degree of supervised launch, but they turned a blind eye to supervising him, granting him the leeway and the arrogance to proceed menacing the frightened household with impunity.”
