SOUTHAVEN, Miss — A jury found the Southaven officers who shot and killed Ismael Lopez in 2017 are not liable in his death and used reasonable force.
In 2017, Southaven Police arrived at the wrong address while serving an arrest warrant.
MBI and Southaven Police investigators reported that when two officers arrived, Lopez opened the door, a dog ran out of the house and Lopez brandished a rifle before one officer shot him.
According to the MBI report, Lopez was shot through his front door in the back of the head while he was in his living room.
District Attorney John Champion said police never identified themselves when they arrived at the Lopez home.
In 2018, Champion announced the officers involved would face no charges.
A $20 million wrongful death lawsuit was filed in June 2019 by Lopez’ family against Southaven, Southaven’s chief of police and the officers involved in Lopez’s death. The lawsuit claimed Lopez did not possess a weapon when he was shot and was not a threat to officers.
Now, the officers have been cleared by the jury.
On Thursday, attorneys representing the family of Ismael Lopez held a news conference on the jury's decision.
"We regret the results, but this brings some closure to the family, and we respect the decision the jury brought back," Attorney Murray Wells said.
Moving forward, the family is going to take time to debrief and determine if they want to move forward with the case or accept the results, according to Wells.
Mayor Musselwhite and the City of Southaven provided the following statement about the decision:
"This was a tragic event and our sincerest condolences continue for the family and friends of Ismael Lopez. This verdict proves what we’ve believed to be correct since day one as our officers responded appropriately considering the circumstance of being threatened with deadly force. We’ve stood behind them during the last six years for this very reason and, for their sake, are glad this trial is over."