Downstairs at Eureka’s Wharfinger Building, a man is sleeping on a bench next to his bike. Upstairs, the family of Thomas McClain, a 22-year-old Eureka resident shot dead by Eureka Police Department officers in 2014, wait for their chance to step up to the podium and confront the departing chief. But between these two signposts […]
Thomas McClain
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McClain Family Settles Wrongful Death Suit
SAN FRANCISCO (CN) – The family of a man shot dead by a Northern California police officer settled a wrongful death suit Thursday after a jury found the officer and victim equally negligent in the fatal shooting last month. Eureka police officer Stephen Linfoot shot and killed Thomas “Tommy” McClain, 22, during a late-night confrontation […]
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UPDATED: Jury: Officer, McClain Both Negligent in Police Shooting
The last night of Thomas “Tommy” McClain’s life began with a night out on the town to celebrate his cousin’s birthday. It ended with the 22-year-old lying mortally wounded in his front yard after being shot three times by a Eureka police officer. While members of a federal civil jury found Officer Stephen Linfoot did […]
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Expert Opinions Collide in EPD Shooting Trial
Attorneys rested their cases today in a federal wrongful death trial after presenting testimony from law enforcement experts who gave conflicting views on whether a Eureka police officer’s fatal shooting of Thomas “Tommy” McClain was justified. A trio of police officers had McClain at gunpoint outside of his Allard Avenue home in the early morning […]
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McClain Witness: ‘There Was No Reason to Shoot’
Thomas “Tommy” McClain was walking toward Eureka police officers with his hands raised above waist level while navigating a barrage of conflicting commands when he was fatally shot, according to witness testimony today. Nichole Mottern, the wife of McClain’s cousin, who was standing in front of the Allard Avenue home the three shared that night, […]
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‘It Needed to be Done,’ EPD Officer Testifies in Wrongful Death Trial
The Eureka police officer who fatally shot Thomas “Tommy” McClain testified Tuesday that he stood by his actions and believed he had no choice but to shoot when the 22-year-old reached for what he believed was a gun in his waistband. “I was scared that the gun was going to come out and he was […]
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EPD Wrongful Death Trial Begins
Eureka Police Officer Stephen Linfoot testified today that he was one of three officers shouting commands with guns drawn in the seconds before he opened fire on Thomas McClain, continuing to shoot as the 22-year-old began falling over and after he hit the ground. “He was reaching for the gun and that’s when I shot, […]
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Judge Allows Hearing, Intoxication Evidence in EPD Shooting Trial
Reversing course from his tentative ruling in the case, a federal judge has decided he will allow jurors to hear evidence that 22-year-old Thomas McClain had a hearing impairment and had been drinking when he was shot dead by a Eureka police officer in 2014. A trio of Eureka police officers had McClain at gunpoint […]
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Alcohol, Hearing Evidence May be Excluded in McClain Trial
SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge said Tuesday he is unlikely to permit evidence that a man shot and killed by an officer in Eureka two years ago was drunk and had hearing problems when the case goes to trial this November. According to his parents’ May 2015 lawsuit, 22-year-old Thomas McClain was complying with […]
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EPD Shooting Case Heads to Trial
SAN FRANCISCO — Parents who say a Eureka policeman shot their son to death though his hands were in the air can take their case to trial, a federal judge said Wednesday. Twenty-two-year-old Thomas McClain was shot to death by Eureka police officer Steven Linfoot on Sept. 17, 2014, his parents say in the lawsuit […]
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$10 Million Claim in McClain Shooting
The family of Thomas McClain, who was shot to death by a Eureka police officer last year, announced it will file a $10 million wrongful death claim against the city and officers involved. Southern California attorney Dale K. Galipo, who successfully sued the city and police officers for more than $4 million on behalf of […]
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County Homicide Total a 30-Year High
Humboldt County has seen more homicides within its borders this year than in any stretching back nearly 30 years. This morning’s officer-involved shooting fatality brings the 2014 total — with 13 days left in the year — to 16 homicides. According to statistics provided by the Humboldt County Coroner’s Office, that’s more than in any […]