The father of the late Anthony Vega Cruz, the 18-year-old shot and killed by a Wethersfield police officer in 2019, has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the former officer and town over his son’s death.
The lawsuit alleges Cruz, known as “Chulo,” was racially profiled, pursued by police against the department’s own rules and ultimately killed over what would could have been a misdemeanor motor vehicle violation.
The complaint was filed on behalf of Cruz’s father earlier this month by famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who also has represented the families of other high-profile victims of police violence, including the late teenagers Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown.