The family of David Silva received a $3.4-million settlement from Kern County, but did they get just

The family of David Silva received a $3.4-million settlement from Kern County, but did they get justice?

13 May 2016

Three years ago, Chris Silva lost his older brother to an altercation with sheriff's deputies so extreme that witnesses called 911 to make it stop.

In a county accustomed to violent encounters between citizens and law enforcement officers, this case stood out. David Silva died after nine law officers and a biting police dog set upon him; Silva, 33, was asleep when it all began.


But what really grabbed attention around the world was an unusual detail; sheriff's detectives confiscated the cellphones of witnesses who had videotaped what they believed was the beat-down of an intoxicated man. One witness claimed his video was deleted.

A pathologist hired by the Kern County sheriff said Silva died of heart disease, complicated by obesity. His blood-alcohol level was slightly above the legal limit and he had small amounts of methamphetamine and an anti-anxiety drug in his system as well.


In his deposition, the county pathologist testified that he had been told by Sheriff's Department officials that no excessive force had been used. He said that he was not aware that deputies had sat on their hogtied, handcuffed suspect's back for several minutes, compressing his chest. "If I was misled," said the pathologist, "that's new information, I change my mind."​

http://www.latimes.com/local/abcarian/la-me-abcarian-bakersfield-settlement-20160513-column.html