STOCKTON, Calif. -- Parminder Singh Shergill was off his psychiatric medication and was "attacking" his mother when a family member called 911 on the morning of Jan. 25, a recording of the emergency phone call released by police Monday reveals.
Shergill, 43, was shot and killed by Lodi police Officers Scott Bratton and Adam Lockie on Jan. 25 after they attempted to approach him at Peterson Park near his family's Elderica Way home, an incident that has led to a federal civil rights lawsuit claiming wrongful death and excessive force, among other claims.
Lodi police on Monday released a recording of the 911 call made by Shergill's sister-in-law, Kuldeep Shergill, an abridged recording of communications between the two involved officers and department dispatch, and photographs of an 8-inch folding tactical knife with a 3-1/2-inch blade that police said Shergill, a Gulf War veteran, had in his possession as he approached officers before shots were fired.
Of 17 witness statements released by Shergill family attorney Mark Merin in April, one witness said Shergill held his hand at eye level and took four steps toward officers before shots were fired.
Merin said Monday that no witnesses saw a knife and that Shergill did not own a knife like the one police say he had that day, "which raises very serious questions," he said. Merin also said recordings released by police were incomplete and that he wanted more information, including Bratton's and Lockie's testimony.
The 911 recording does not indicate Parminder Shergill had a knife, but it does reveal that Shergill's family believed he was "going crazy."
Kuldeep Shergill called 911 at 9:08 that morning. She told the dispatcher her brother-in-law was schizophrenic and was "going crazy. He's yelling; he's attacking my mother-in-law."
The dispatcher asked, "I'm sorry, he's doing what?"
"He's going crazy. (Unintelligible) belligerent, kind of crazy attacking her," Kuldeep Shergill told the dispatcher, who asked if Shergill was off his medication.
"Yes he is," came the reply.
Police also released a recording of radio traffic between the two officers and police dispatch. The officers told dispatchers that Shergill had a knife in his right hand and was refusing commands. In a statement, police also said Shergill raised the knife and advanced at officers before shots were fired.
Lodi Police Chief Mark Helms said the department and lawyers representing the city decided to release the information Monday to clear up "misinformation" about the case.
Helms said Merin and the Shergill family have repeatedly said Shergill was not a violent person and that he did not have a knife on Jan. 25. He added that Merin's insistence that the police investigation should have been laid out to the public just four months after the shooting is unrealistic.
Helms said Merin has requested documents that the police don't even have yet.
Helms did not comment on details of the investigation but promised all the facts will be known once the four-agency report is completed and reviewed by the San Joaquin County district attorney, who will determine if a crime was committed.
"We thought it was important to release the information not only because it tells a story, but also to include transcripts so that there's no question as to what was said on the radio or on the phone," Helms said.
Police also referred to Parminder Shergill's history. In November 2006, Shergill was arrested, but never convicted, for threatening to kill his ex-wife and having a loaded handgun in his possession. The court case was dismissed, and Parminder Shergill was referred in 2007 to mental health services providers.
Merin was traveling Monday and had time only for a brief phone interview with The Record. He said he reviewed the documents and recordings released by police.
Along with denying that the knife belonged to Shergill, Merin said he believes the 911 call released by police was not complete, and he would have liked to hear the full recording of the officers' radio discussions to better understand how much time passed between certain portions of the conversation.
Merin said Parminder Shergill never physically attacked his mother. It was only a verbal attack, he said.
"First of all, I find it interesting that they have said they wouldn't release information until the full investigation was completed but are now willing to release information that could sway public opinion," Merin said.
Helms said the 911 tape was complete, except the Shergill family phone number was muted out before it was released. Helms also said Merin once described the knife to him in a prior conversation about the case and noted Parminder Shergill was very proud of it because it had a military emblem on the handle.
Police said they have been called to the Elderica Way home 10 times since 2009. The Shergill family may not have lived there during all 10 calls, Helms added.
However, police said they have responded to the Shergill families' 911 calls on multiple occasions. Shergill's mother and his sister-in-law have both declined to press assault charges on Parminder Shergill in the past, according to a police statement.
Copyright 2014 - The Record, Stockton, Calif.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
