page_title: Death of Kelly Thomas
section_title: Aftermath
hierarchical_section_title: Death of Kelly Thomas / Aftermath
caption_attribution_description: English: Fullerton City Council chambers, August 2, 2011. Representative view of a suburban city council chamber size and dais. Not representative of number of people because of large media interest due to the Kelly Thomas police beating. On the dais, from left to right - Police Chief Michael Sellers (in uniform), City Attorney Richard D.Jones, Councilman Bruce Whitaker, Mayor Pro Tem Don Bankhead, Mayor Dick Jones, Councilman Pat McKinley, Councilwoman Sharon Quirk-Silva, City Manager Joe Felz. Speaking - Ron Thomas, father of Kelly Thomas, who was allegedly killed by Fullerton police on July 5, 2011.
context_page_description: Kelly Thomas was a homeless man diagnosed with schizophrenia who lived on the streets of Fullerton, California. He died after succumbing to injuries he suffered while being attacked by six members of the Fullerton Police Department, on July 5, 2011, in what was later described as "one of the worst police beatings in [US] history."
  Medical records show that bones in his face were broken and he choked on his own blood. The coroner concluded that compression of the thorax made it impossible for Thomas to breathe normally and deprived his brain of oxygen. Officer Manuel Ramos was charged with one count of second-degree murder and one count of involuntary manslaughter; Corporal Jay Cicinelli and Officer Joseph Wolfe were each charged with one count of felony involuntary manslaughter and one count of excessive force. All three pleaded not guilty.
  A judge declined to dismiss the charges against the officers in January 2013, finding that "a reasonable person could infer that the use of force was excessive and unreasonable." An appeals court judge also denied a request to overturn the lower court's decision.
context_section_description: The story of his beating broke shortly before his death. An investigation into the beating was undertaken by the Orange County district attorney starting on July 7, 2011, and later the FBI became involved. The decision to involve the FBI was praised by the American Civil Liberties Union, which stated that the Orange County district attorney had an "abysmal" record when investigating shootings with police involvement.
  Kelly Thomas was removed from life support and died on July 10, 2011, five days after the beating. Initial reports claimed that Thomas had been very combative with officers and two had suffered broken bones. Later, the police department confirmed that no officers had suffered any broken bones, and that no one other than Thomas had any significant injuries. Department supervisors were criticized for allowing the involved officers to watch the video of the incident before writing their reports. In 2020 it was also revealed supervisors had subsequently made changes to these reports. 
  On July 18, 2011, a large protest outside the Fullerton Police Department was organized by several people, including the victim's father Ron Thomas.
  On August 2, 2011 many members of the public spoke out about the beating at the biweekly city council meeting at the Fullerton City Hall. Over 70 members of the public spoke to the city council, the vast majority of whom criticized the police. Among the speakers was Ron Thomas, the father of Kelly Thomas, as well as Kelly Thomas's stepmother. The public comment session lasted for approximately three hours. The city attorney emphasized that the city council could not respond to the comments, however following the public comment period discussion was given to provide clarification on the city's policy regarding the mentally ill. In addition, Tony Bushala, a local developer and conservative activist, announced plans to recall three members of the city council thought to have responded insufficiently to the beating, which succeeded the following year (see below).
  On Saturday August 6, 2011, a large street protest was held outside of the Fullerton City Hall. Activists at that protest, which was attended by hundreds of people, called for the release of a surveillance video shot by cameras installed at the bus depot and carried signs with slogans like "Jail All Killer Cops" and "End Police Brutality."
caption: Ron Thomas speaks to the Fullerton City Council and the media
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