The family of an innocent man who was mistakenly shot and killed by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies was expected to hold a news conference in Seattle Tuesday to announce a lawsuit against the agency.
Deputies were responding to a call of an assault with a deadly weapon earlier this month in West Hollywood when they opened fire on John Winkler, 30.
An investigation later revealed that Winkler, an aspiring producer working on Comedy Central’s “Tosh.0,” was one of three men being held hostage by another man with a knife, authorities said.
“We are grasping to understand why he was taken away from us in such a tragic way,” Winkler’s uncle Craig Dawson said in a statement shortly after the fatal shooting. "Those who were blessed with the opportunity to know John knew him to be an incredibly giving young man, always ready to do anything for friends and family.”
A sheriff’s department spokesman said an internal investigation was launched into the shooting.
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Alexander McDonald, 27, allegedly stabbed and fought the hostages until deputies arrived. He was charged with murder.
