SAN DIEGO — San Diego County paid $825,000 to settle a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the son of a Yale-educated scientist who was shot and killed in March of 2022 by Sheriff's Deputies as they attempted to serve her with an eviction notice.
CBS 8 obtained the settlement amount through a public records request.
The March 3, 2022 shooting of Dr. Yan Li drew criticism over the deadly use of force on someone who displayed signs of a mental health break and who may have had language barriers with the officers.
In an op-ed in the San Diego Union-Tribune, the dean of Yale School of Public Health criticized deputies for the shooting, stating that deputies knew she was experiencing a mental health episode and should have acted accordingly. The Yale News also wrote about the shooting in their paper.
Li's son, referred to as "D.S." in the lawsuit, echoed the Ivy College Dean's sentiments in his March 2023 wrongful death claim. In the lawsuit, the son pointed to police body cameras that were released after the shooting which showed Li experiencing a mental health break when Sheriff's Deputies knocked on her door to serve an eviction notice.
WATCH CRITICAL INCIDENT VIDEO RELEASED BY SAN DIEGO COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT |This video contains graphic images, please be advised:
The video, released by the Sheriff's Department shows Li answering the door while holding a kitchen knife. Moments after she opened the door, Li became angry and questioned whether or not the deputies were in fact law enforcement. Deputies immediately raised their guns. She slammed the door and retreated into a back bedroom. A Sheriff's Deputy began shouting at Li.
Additional deputies arrived on the scene armed with non-lethal bean bag guns and a Sheriff's K9.
According to the lawsuit, deputies entered the Little Italy apartment, despite Li not posing a threat to any of the deputies or members of the public, and without help from a mental health expert.
Once inside, deputies fired a bean bag at Li and, according to the lawsuit, "deployed flash-bang rounds against [Li]."
Reads the lawsuit, "The inappropriate beanbag and flash-bang deployment escalated the situation and caused [Li] to move toward the front door to her unit and to exit her unit, into the hallway... Rather than deploying force against [Li], the officers should have summoned mental health assistance for [Li] and ensured that there was appropriate personnel on scene to bridge any obvious language barriers."
After the altercation inside, Li ran out of the apartment with the knife in her hand. Li stabbed a deputy as deputies fired their guns, killing her.
A spokesperson for the County told CBS 8 that the $825,000 includes attorney's fees and court costs.
No other statement was provided.
