The family of Jose de Jesus Mendez‑Rios has taken Richmond police to federal court, filing a civil-rights lawsuit this week that accuses officers of using excessive force in what they call a preventable tragedy. The complaint names the city of Richmond and two officers and comes more than a year after the Feb. 4, 2025 encounter that ended with Mendez‑Rios being shot. The filing lands while state and local reviews of the shooting are still underway.
New Federal Filing Turns Up the Volume
According to The Mercury News, the lawsuit, filed yesterday, names Officers Nicholas Remick and Jessica Khalil and seeks damages for the killing. Family attorney Adante Pointer is quoted in the filing, calling the shooting "a preventable tragedy," and the complaint states that Mendez‑Rios was in the midst of a mental-health crisis when officers opened fire.
Thirty-Two Tense Minutes on the Tracks
The Richmond Police Department's Feb. 4, 2025 press release says officers located Mendez‑Rios on the Union Pacific right-of-way near Carlson Boulevard and spent roughly 32 minutes attempting to de-escalate before an officer-involved shooting at about 8:53 PM. The department said officers had been serving a probation-related warrant at the time. The release notes that the Contra Costa District Attorney's Office responded to the scene and that the department was cooperating with a review.
Body-camera video and dispatch audio obtained and published by Richmondside show officers pleading with Mendez‑Rios in Spanish and trying repeatedly to calm the situation while he held an object to his neck. Richmondside reports that officers tased him during the standoff and that Officer Nicholas Remick's weapon fired at least 10 rounds, while the item recovered at the scene was later identified as a knife sheath rather than a blade.
State Investigators Still On the Case
The California Department of Justice lists the Feb. 4, 2025 death on its AB 1506 tracker and identifies Officers Remick and Khalil in the case as the state conducts an independent review. The AB 1506 process covers how state officials review police shootings and whether they may make a criminal referral, and Hoodline previously covered the department's announcement that it would investigate the Richmond shooting.
Family Says System Failed a Man in Crisis
The federal complaint, as reported by The Mercury News, accuses the officers and the city of failing to properly handle a person in crisis and of using unreasonable force that cost Mendez‑Rios his life. The suit recounts family claims about the aftermath, including an allegation that Mendez‑Rios's son lost his job after the shooting drew attention, and asks a federal judge for damages along with accountability measures.
Officer's Record Fuels Local Scrutiny
Remick's involvement in multiple recent use-of-force incidents has already drawn community and legal scrutiny, and civil-rights lawyers say the new federal filing adds to concerns about training and oversight. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Remick was connected to another fatal shooting in August 2025 and has been named in prior complaints and litigation.
Parallel Investigations, Uncertain Timeline
The federal lawsuit will move forward in U.S. District Court while the state AB 1506 review and any Contra Costa County inquiries continue on separate tracks. Richmond's Feb. 4 press release said the department was committed to a thorough and transparent investigation, and the outcome of the state review could affect whether prosecutors pursue criminal charges or recommend policy changes.
