Property Owners Ask For Reparations From Deadly Police Shootings

The horrific shootout in February which left two Santa Cruz police officers and the suspect dead has also left two innocent homeowners with a hefty bill.

The Santa Cruz City Council will meet tomorrow to reconsider a claim of almost $5000 in damage filed by owners of an apartment complex which was riddled with bullets and human remains after the bloody dispute.

In a written comment to the City Council, Brian Fambini, who owns the apartment complex with his mother, noted damage from the confrontation including bullet holes in “every structure on our property,” and the destruction of their front door, fence boards, and interior drywall from the ensuing police investigation. In addition to thousands of dollars of repairs, they also found themselves tasked with cleaning up blood and small pieces of the gunman, Jeremy Goulet, 35.

Goulet shot and killed Detective Elizabeth Butler and Sgt. Loran “Butch” Baker, the first officers to die in the line of duty in Santa Cruz history, when they came to his home investigating a sexual assault complaint. Goulet was killed shortly after in a gruesome clash of gunfire with responding officers.

At a press conference after the shooting, Santa Cruz Police Chief Kevin Vogel commended the heroism of these officers, and said that the event, “a regular, routine matter with a non-routine outcome,” did not necessitate any change in department procedures. The city found them not responsible for paying for the necessitated repairs; when the Fambini’s first requested reparations for the carnage in early July the City Council voted unanimously to deny it.

"The rationale is that the city Police Department is only doing its job and did not create the emergency circumstances that resulted in the property damage," City Attorney John Barisone told the Santa Cruz Sentinel. "The courts have determined that as a matter of public policy it would not be appropriate to place such a financial burden on the public entity, effectively financially penalizing it for properly executing its responsibility to protect the public from criminal activity."

Mayor Hilary Bryant, however, put the matter back on the agenda, bringing the claim before the council one again on July 23 in a closed session.