Lawsuit filed in police killing of stabbing suspect

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The estate of a man who was killed by police officers after fatally stabbing a Linfield College student two years ago has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.

The Oregonian/OregonLive (http://bit.ly/2ggKOvO ) reports that the federal lawsuit alleges that officers Brian McMullen, Justin James and Sgt. Rhonda Sandoval violated Juventino Bermudez-Arenas’ civil rights by using excessive force.

The lawsuit, filed Nov. 14, also accuses the city of failing to train officers on the proper use of force and conversational Spanish.

According to law enforcement officials, Bermudez-Arenas stabbed student-athlete Parker Moore in 2014 Moore at a convenience store across the street from the main entrance to Linfield College and was himself killed by officers’ gunfire after he returned to the store.

The lawsuit contends that the Spanish-speaking man went home after the stabbing, told family members there was a problem and said he would return to surrender.

Investigators have been unable to uncover a motive. The officers were cleared after an internal review.

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Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com