A verdict has been reached in the 2019 shooting at the State Capitol

HONOLULU (KHON2) – A civilian jury has returned a verdict in the 2019 fatal shooting involving the deputy president at the state Capitol.

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Delmar Espejo’s family is suing the state of Hawaii and the sheriff who shot him on February 18, 2019, for wrongful death of Espejo and excessive force.

The deadly shooting at the Capitol has been ruled a homicide, according to the medical examiner

The incident occurred shortly before 8:30 p.m., when “the officer involved in the shooting called for backup (after seeing) an intoxicated man in the Capitol.”

In the complaint filed by Ralph Fukamoto, a former sheriff’s sergeant, he noted that there was no one present to provide support to the officer at the time of the fight.

Court documents show the 28-year-old placed a headlock on the sheriff. The sheriff then shot him in the torso “for fear of additional, immediate danger.”

On June 30, 2019, the Honolulu Medical Examiner ruled Espejo’s death a homicide.

The trial began on November 21, and after nearly four days of testimony, a Honolulu jury found that the sheriff was negligent and that the state had failed to properly train him.

In a statement, the Attorney General’s Department said it thanked jurors for their work and that “numerous errors were made that affected the fairness of the trial. (They are) considering (their) options.”

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The Espejo family received $2.2 million.

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