LUBBOCK, Texas — Paul Anthony Valderas, along with his attorneys, moved to dismiss a lawsuit that a Lubbock Police officer shot him after officers closed in on him to make an arrest in January 2017 in North Lubbock.
Valderas was suspected of narcotics violations, and he was later charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, according to police. When police closed in on him in the 3300 block of Grinnell Street, police said he displayed a gun.
Valderas claimed he “clearly disarmed himself” when he was shot, and the lawsuit said he was permanently paralyzed from the chest down, as previously reported by EverythingLubbock.
Court records state that Valderas asked a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit against LPD Officer Billy Mitchell, the officer who shot him, after he could not “properly respond or amend his complaint against the City of Lubbock.”
On June 19, the attorney for Valderas wrote in court records that there was a problem with a key witness.
More specifically, court records said, “[Valderas] has not obtained the confidential informant’s sworn statement because he/she has not maintained consistent sobriety and consequently a stable physical address.”
Even before the issue with the witness, a judge had ruled that Mitchell could be dismissed from lawsuit — leaving only the City of Lubbock as a defendant.
Related Story: Lubbock Police Officer Denies Wrongdoing in Shooting Paul Valderas
