Father Sues Over Son’s Slaying in Closet by Police

The father of a knife-wielding 23-year-old killed by Oxnard police while hiding in his bedroom closet filed a federal class-action lawsuit Wednesday claiming that police provoked the confrontation.

The suit in the death of Robert Lee Jones seeks $50 million. It also asks the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles to prohibit Oxnard police from confronting other mentally disturbed people, alleging that the officers are not properly trained to deal with them.

Oxnard police have said officers had no choice but to use lethal force against Jones, because he came toward them with a 13-inch knife when they opened the closet door. A final determination of whether the Aug. 24 shooting was legally justified won’t be made until the Ventura County district attorney’s office and a state attorney general’s inquiry are completed.