BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — A 23ABC investigation has revealed the City of Delano has agreed to pay $2.3 million to the family of a man who was shot and killed in 2019.
It was June 14, 2019 when Delano Police officers went to assist the Tulare County Sheriff's Office with tracking down Arturo Galvan.
TCSO was looking for him because he was a suspect in an alleged attack and drive-by shooting the day before.
TCSO tracked Galvan and Alexis Resendez down to a Best Western in Delano.
TCSO body camera footage shows two deputies inside the hotel asking the two to come out of the room, then shots are heard.
Officials said Galvan jumped out of a window and that's when a Delano Police officer fired his weapon.
According to Delano Police Chief Robert Nevarez, that officer was Corporal Michael Strand. At the time, Strand was a 10-year-veteran of DPD.
The alleged suspect, Galvan, was hit and taken to a hospital where he later died.
It's been a year since the shooting happened and Strand remains on paid leave as the Tulare County District Attorney's Office determines whether any criminal charges should be filed.
Through a public records request, 23ABC learned the City of Delano agreed to pay the family of Galvan $2.3 million for "police wrongful death action" related to the shooting.
As 23ABC investigated the case we learned more about the history of Strand.
In 2015 he was involved in another officer-involved shooting. According to the Kern County District Attorney's Office Strand shot and killed Lorenzo Garza during a pursuit after Strand believed Garza fired a shot at the patrol vehicle he was in. The DA's office ruled the shooting justified.
DA_Press_OIS Review Delano PD by Jessica Harrington on Scribd
Last month, Strand, along with two other Delano Police officers were named in an excessive force lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. Court documents from the ACLU say the officers stopped a group of high school students who were headed to get permission slips for prom. The lawsuit claims as two officers laid on top of and handcuffed two of the students, Strand approached a student filming the incident and slapped the phone out of the student's hand.
Delano Police telling 23ABC last year following the incident that the group was initially found in the roadway and refused officer's orders to move. Officers attempted to detain them, however, they refused to comply. DPD said force was then used to make arrests, some of which can be seen in the video.
We reached out to DPD Chief Nevarez for a comment on last year's officer-involved shooting, he said he was unable to comment because of the pending investigation.
We also reached out to Strand's attorney for comment, but have not heard back.
We reached out to the City of Delano for a comment on the settlement and have not heard back.
