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Family of Oakland Man Killed by CHP Officers Announces Wrongful Death Lawsuit

OAKLAND (KPIX) -- On what would have been Erik Salgado's 24th birthday, his Oakland family and their attorney announced they are filing a wrongful-death lawsuit for a June 6 CHP police shooting that killed Salgado and wounded his pregnant girlfriend.

Erik Salgado's mother is asking officers for two things: to see body-cam footage of the incident and to know the names of the officers involved in the shooting.

Erik Salgado Family Photo

Erik Salgado, 23, was fatally shot by CHP officers yards from his home on June 6. His girlfriend was injured in the shooting and lost their baby.

Family attorney John Burris recounted the events that took place on June 6.

"(A CHP officer) stood right here and started shooting into the car," Burris said. "The number of shots fired was enough to kill a militia. It was a massacre!"

Burris claims that roughly 40 shots were fired, 18 of them striking Delgado.

Felina Ramirez, Delgado's mother, spoke through an interpreter, saying, "I don't understand why with such cruelty -- what was the requirement for that?"

The family and legal team say the force was unjustified. Burris claims the safety of the officers was never in question. All Delgado tried to do, Burris says, was to maneuver around a car.

But that's not the information from the agency investigating this case. According to the Oakland police department, Delgado was in a stolen Dodge Charger and started ramming police cars during a traffic stop. That's when officers opened fire.

The family is pleading for transparency but, in some cases, police agencies are allowed to withhold certain information. The Salgado family says they just want to see what happened and who exactly was responsible for taking Erik and his unborn son's life.

KPIX reached out to the CHP for comment but was told it cannot speak about pending litigation. The Oakland police department says it is still investigating the case along with the Alameda County District Attorney's Office.

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