Family and community members were remembering the life of Guillermo Medina, near the spot where he died in December.
"This wasn't a bad person, a criminal," said Nancy Barba, a family friend. "This was someone having a mental health crisis and the tragic thing was this was the only resource to a family member."
On Dec. 18, 2022, Culver City police were responding to a call for a domestic violence incident where a man was reported to be threatening his wife with a handgun.
When officers arrived at the home, Median took off in his car and led them on a short chase. That ended when he crashed the vehicle into a median. A short time after he got out of the car, he was shot by officers.
Culver City police shot, killed unarmed man having mental health crisis, lawsuit alleges
Culver City police shot, killed unarmed man having mental health crisis, lawsuit alleges
The family has filed a lawsuit against the department, saying he did not pose a threat to the officers and should have been provided with medical care.
"When someone's struggling with a mental health crisis that's a cry for help," said attorney Carmen Sabater.
"You're there to help them. You're not there to take their life."
But Saturday was a time to honor Medina's memory with a candlelight vigil.
"I just don't want the world to continue to talk bad about him and say bad things about him," said his widow, Adriana Medina. "And for God's sake my children are reading this stuff. What's wrong with people? They watched their father die. Was that not enough?"