Francisco Mondragon: Murdered by the Police in Highland Park

Francisco Mondragon: Murdered by the Police in Highland Park

Francisco Mondragon was murdered by the Los Angeles Police Department
on February 11, 2007 at 2am. He was only 24 years old and suffered from
schizophrenia.

The cops were responding to a call at a group home for the disabled in
Highland Park, Fair Oaks Manor at 5035 Echo St (where he had lived for
about a year).

Officer Ivan McMillan, and his partner, shot Francisco Mondragon and
killed him for allegedly lunging at them with a screw driver.


The nurse who had called the police regretted having to rely on them,
because of the murder that resulted from this.

The director of the institution, that Mondragon was in, said that
Francisco had been heavily medicated when he was murdered, and when he
had been supposedly threatening people and the police.

Mondragon's family found out about his death through the news, not
through the LAPD themselves. The hospital had alerted the family that the
police had "taken him somewhere," but the police never alerted the family
of what had happened.

The LAPD spokesperson could not even comment or apologize for not
informing the family of Mondragon's death.

Francisco Maldragon's story is not an isolated incident, and he will
not be forgotten. This is a daily occurrence in our communities. The
police, media and powers-that-be want us to forge,t and want to brush this
under the rug. The system will never provide the type of support our
communities and our families need, not even after the fact one of their
agents murders unjustly (because they have not provided the support
Francisco Maldragon's family needs).

They can't resolve the problems that we face, or provide any help.
The only thing the police know how to do is murder us, brutalize us, and
lock us up.

Mondragon's guardian and cousin, Cristina Saucedo Garcia said,
"Calling the police should not result in you being killed, if you only
have a screwdriver." His cousin said that Francisco was an intelligent
human being who happened to have suffered from schizophrenia (he had a 4.0
GPA). The LAPD murdered him, a mentally disabled person; there is no
excuse for this. We demand justice, we will never forget!

Cop Watch Los Angeles

www.copwatchla.org

1 877 8 NO COPS

copwatchla@riseup.net

*Cop Watch LA is providing support for Mondragon's family and helping
bring this case to light -- so it won't fade from our consciousness.
We will continue to struggle for Francisco Mondragon, Suzie Lopez Pena,
Deandre Brunston, Devin Brown, Gonzalo Martinez, and the countless
others that were taken from us by the police.