Saturday, February 14, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Dead man's sons file federal lawsuit
Wrongful death alleged in 2002 suffocation of Craig Becker in struggle with LV police
By CARRI GEER THEVENOT
REVIEW-JOURNAL
Three sons of a man who died during a February 2002 struggle with Las Vegas police filed a wrongful death lawsuit Friday in federal court.
The $2 million lawsuit stems from the death of Craig Becker, 46, who tore apart his family's home and claimed to be Jesus Christ just before he was suffocated in a struggle with officers.
A coroner's jury ruled in May 2002 that Becker was responsible for his own death.
The wrongful death lawsuit was filed by Becker's sons: Jeffrey, Robert and Daniel. Also listed as a plaintiff is Arizona resident Janice Mullins, co-administrator of Becker's estate. The plaintiffs are represented by attorney Brent Bryson.
According to the lawsuit, Jeffrey and Robert live in Clark County, and Daniel lives in Utah. Robert and Daniel are teenagers.
Named as defendants in the lawsuit are officers James Coovert, Christopher Petro and Matthew Gillis.
According to the document, the three officers responded to a report of a family disturbance at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 16, 2002, on East Washington Avenue near Lamb Boulevard.
Upon arriving, the officers encountered Becker and attempted to take him into custody for evaluation, according to the lawsuit.
During an ensuing struggle, according to the document, one or more of the officers sprayed Becker with pepper spray.
"The officers then threw Becker to the ground, and one or more of them stepped on the back and neck area of Becker and applied sufficient pressure to cause Becker's breathing to be cut off," the complaint alleges.
The Clark County coroner's office listed the death as a homicide.
According to the lawsuit, the officers violated Becker's civil rights by subjecting him to excessive force.
