BHB — in coordination with National Police Accountability Project and Disability Law United — sued Sacramento County, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Jim Cooper seeking justice and accountability on behalf of the family of Jaime Naranjo, a beloved husband, father, and local businessman who was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy while he was experiencing a mental illness.

On September 28, 2022, Mr. Naranjo’s wife of over 30 years, Elisa Daher, called 911 seeking emergency medical services to assist with her husband who was threatening self-harm. No mental health team was dispatched. Instead, a sheriff’s deputy arrived at Mr. Naranjo’s residence, shoved Ms. Daher to the ground, and fatally shot Mr. Naranjo. These events unfolded in under 23 seconds.

Mental illness related calls to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office have increase nearly 90% between 2019 and 2022. However, neither the County nor the Sheriff ensure that its deputies are trained to engage with individuals experiencing mental illness or provided with adequate supervision during those encounters.

These failures in training and supervision have deadly consequences. People with serious mental illness are 11.6 times more likely to experience police use of force. Over the past decade, Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office deputies have used deadly forces several dozen times responding to mental-health related calls.

We seek injunctive relief and monetary damages against the defendants under the ADA, Rehabilitation Act, U.S. Constitution, and California law.

Partners: National Police Accountability Project and Disability Law United

Important Documents:

• Complaint - Daher v. County of Sacramento et al.

Media Coverage: Press Release | The Sacramento Bee