AMARILLO — A federal judge has denied a court motion to dismiss the Department of Public Safety from a wrongful death suit filed by relatives of a Tulia man who was fatally shot by a DPS trooper after a chase along Interstate 27.
Beatrice Luna, the mother of 24-year-old Israel Leija Jr., sued the DPS, Trooper Chadrin Mullenix and Trooper Gabriel Rodriguez, alleging Mullenix used excessive force and violated the civil rights of Leija when Mullenix shot Leija on March 23, 2010.
The suit seeks unspecified damages for Leija’s three minor children.