EVERETT, Wash. - The family of a drunken driving suspect shot to death by police has sued the city of Everett, saying the police department should have done a better job in training its officers in the use of deadly force.
Niles Meservey was shot seven times as he sat in his car outside an Everett restaurant last June. The family says his car was blocked in by police cruisers and there was no need to shoot him because there's nowhere he could have driven.
The officer who fired the shots has pleaded not guilty to a manslaughter charge.
Lawyer Paul Luvera of Seattle says the family agrees that Meservey should not have been behind the wheel, but that was no reason to shoot the 51-year-old from Stanwood.
City of Everett spokeswoman Kate Reardon declined to comment except to say the matter would resolve itself in court.
