LUBBOCK, Texas — The suspect in an officer-involved shooting in April 2019 filed a lawsuit against the Seagraves Police Department among others on Wednesday.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Texas.
In July, David Ray Garcia, 41, was charged with Attempted Capital Murder of a Police Officer and and Aggravated Assault on a Peace Officer for an April 29 incident.
According to SPD, Garcia fled from a traffic stop and shot at officer Matthew Zalewski. Zalewski then returned fire, hitting Garcia.
Both the officer and Garcia were injured in the exchange, and both were hospitalized for a time.
Garcia accused the Seagraves Police Department, SPD officer Matthew Bradley Zalewski and former SPD Chief of Police Brent Grundstrom of infringing his Fourth, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment rights of due process.
The lawsuit goes on to state, “unfair govermental [sic] conduct, particulary [sic] the use of suggestive prejudicial or discriminatary [sic] identification procedures.”
Zalewski was cleared of wrongdoing for the shooting in August.
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The lawsuit filing also stated that Zalewski quit, “do to [sic] held accountable for such damages,” and now worked in “Chelddres, TX”. However, according to SPD, Zalewski was still employed as an officer in Seagraves.
The lawsuit said former SPD Chief Brent Grundstrom quit and now works in Galveston. EverythingLubbock was only able to confirm that Grundstrom was no longer the Seagraves Police Chief.
Garcia was held in the Garza County Detention Center as of December 18.
Click here to view a copy of the full complaint.
