A Los Angeles jury has ordered the city to pay $11 million to the two children of Wilver Blanco, a 42-year-old South LA man fatally shot by LAPD officers in May 2024, after finding the officers liable for battery and negligence in his death. The award will go to Blanco's 9-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter, who won't be able to access the money until they turn 18.
The verdict, reported Thursday by CBS Los Angeles, concerns what happened on the night of May 19, 2024. Police had responded to a call reporting an assault with a deadly weapon in South Los Angeles, with responding officers told that Blanco was possibly under the influence of narcotics and was chasing an elderly man. According to a 2024 statement from the department, officers arrived to find Blanco standing behind a vehicle holding a knife and ordered him several times to drop it before he allegedly ran toward one of them, prompting them to open fire.
The Los Angeles Police Department previously identified the two officers as Police Officer II Stefan Carutasu and Police Officer II Dominique Billew, both assigned to the Southeast Patrol Division, according to LAPD Online. Investigators said the shooting happened around 6:40 p.m. in the 100 block of West Colden Avenue and that an 8.5-inch folding knife with a 3.5-inch blade was recovered at the scene.
Attorney Says Officers Had Other Options
Blanco's attorney, Christian Contreras, called the shooting unjustified, arguing at trial that officers had access to less-lethal options, including a Taser and pepper spray, but failed to use either before firing their weapons. Contreras said the officers acted as “judge, jury, and executioner,” per the same CBS Los Angeles account. Jurors found the officers liable for battery and negligence in Blanco's death.
Contreras said at a news conference that Blanco had no criminal history. His children testified that their father was their best friend, and his daughter said he was kind, powerful, and always there for her, the report notes. Contreras said the city retains the option to appeal the trial court's judgment.
A Costly Pattern for the City
The Blanco verdict lands amid a broader financial reckoning for Los Angeles over police use-of-force litigation. For Fiscal Year 2025, the city reported $287 million in total legal liability payouts, blowing past its $87 million budget by 228 percent, with LAPD cases alone accounting for $152 million, or 53 percent of the city's total legal costs, according to Protecting American Consumers. Data from the LA City Controller's Office cited by the Southern California Record showed LAPD liability costs reached $107 million in just the first three quarters of Fiscal Year 2024-2025, with more than $50 million of that tied specifically to excessive force and civil rights cases.
In January 2026, a Los Angeles jury awarded $6.8 million to an Army veteran who sued LAPD after officers improperly subjected him to a mental health detention in 2019, according to the Los Angeles Times. Financial status reports cited by LAist in 2025 projected citywide liability payouts topping $320 million, depleting general fund reserves close to emergency levels and threatening funding for core municipal services.
Scrutiny Over Deadly Force Standards
Under California Penal Code Section 835a, officers are permitted to use deadly force only when necessary to defend against an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury, and the law requires them to consider de-escalation and less-lethal options when reasonable. LAPD officers opened fire on 29 people in 2024, down from 34 the year before, per the Los Angeles Times.
Blanco's case is one of several recent South LA and citywide incidents drawing attention to how LAPD officers handle high-stress calls involving people in crisis.
