Family of San Antonio 13-year-old killed in police shooting files federal lawsuit

Prominent civil-rights attorney Lee Merritt filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday alleging that the San Antonio Police Department violated the rights of 13-year-old Andre "AJ" Hernandez when officers shot and killed the youth during a June 2022 stolen vehicle call. The suit, filed in San Antonio, argues that SAPD officer Stephen Ramos violated Hernandez's Fourth Amendment right to be protected against unlawful search and seizure. Hernandez was the second San Antonio civilian to be fatally shot by Ramos in a little more than a year's time, Merritt told reporters during a press conference at the federal courthouse. "We believe that the officers used more force than necessary to arrest AJ Hernandez, that there was no justification for the use of deadly force," Merritt said.