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Parents of SFPD recruit who died claim wrongdoing
Christina and Marcus Psalms spoke alongside their attorney to announce a claim submitted in regards to the death of 30 year old Jon-Marques Psalms.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - The parents of recruit officer Jon-Marques Psalms, 30, who died after injuries sustained during a training exercise at the San Francisco Police Academy, are demanding answers.
Jon-Marques died on August 22 after he spent two days in the UCSF ICU.
His parents and the family’s attorney said the police department has lacked accountability in his death.
The family’s attorney filed what’s called a government claim on Monday against the City of San Francisco as a precursor to a lawsuit, requesting compensation for wrongdoing, and making allegations of assault, battery, negligence, and other violations of the law.
Family reacts
Parents Christina and Marcus Psalms held a tearful press conference near the San Francisco Superior Court to declare his death was preventable.
"I don't know if I'll ever recover," said his father Marcus.
Jon-Marques left behind his parents and a younger brother.
They said nearly four weeks since he died, they still have no answers.
"Nobody should have to go through that, and we don't know enough about what happened," said Christina.
What we know:
Jon-Marques was a recruit with SFPD Class 286, expected to graduate in December.
His father said he was a leader in the group.
The week of his death, the SFPD said the training exercise they were doing was a course mandated by Peace Officer Standards of Training, or POST.
SFPD said despite providing medical aid on site, paramedics took him to the hospital, where he died two days later.
What they're saying:
His mother Christina said she received little information about the cause of his injuries, and was notified that he was "dehydrated" when he was sent to the hospital.
"From the time I arrived at the hospital, no one with SFPD came and approached to tell us exactly what happened," she said.
"Accidents do happen. I get that. They happen every single day, but it shouldn't happen when you train," Marcus added. "Maybe twist your ankle, break an arm, you know, get a cut, but die? No…"
His family wants to put an end to the training exercise they think killed him.
The family’s attorney Brad Gage suspects it was "arrest and control" scenario training, and that Jon-Marques was pushed too far.
What we don't know:
SFPD has not released any details about what led up to the death of Jon-Marques or what exercise was specifically being done.
"There's been no video produced showing what happened. The explanations that we have received are incomplete and perhaps inconsistent," Gage said.
Reports of his injuries, according to the complaint, show he had injuries to his head that Gage believes could have been prevented.
"We know that he fell down after training. He appeared to go unconscious, needing urgent medical attention and then his body started to deteriorate with multiple organs failing despite efforts from medical providers in the hospital to save him," Gage said.
Gage said he believes the training they did was done outside of protocol, which is what resulted in his death.
"I'm aware of 10 to 15 different cases throughout the country where recruits and police officers have died in training such as this arrest and control, which is what I think the exercise was," he said.
Gage also said it’s suspicious that the captain and lieutenant in charge are not currently working at the academy.
An SFPD spokesperson said any changes in staffing were decisions made before Jon-Marques' death and that the captain is away for a training that was pre-arranged.
"The police department are there to protect," Marcus said. "If nothing else, protect your own."
‘Jon-Marques always wanted to help people’
Marcus said his son always dreamed of being a police officer "to help people."
He added that he had applied to become a sheriff's deputy for the Orange County Sheriff's Office a few years ago, but it did not work out, so instead he landed a job in tech sales in the Bay Area.
His parents described him as an athlete and a scholar who loved to travel and had a blue belt in Jiu Jitsu.
"Why would a perfectly healthy, well-conditioned young man be killed?" asked Gage.
Gage said he is working on getting a second autopsy done, while CAL/OSHA investigates.
"He's gone, and I feel like it's blown a hole in our family unit," Christina said with tears in her eyes.
What's next:
An SFPD spokesperson said the department can not comment on litigation.
The city has 45 days to respond to the claim, after that, the family intends to file a formal lawsuit.
Mayor Lurie and City Attorney David Chiu declined to comment.
KTVU reached out to CAL/OSHA but did not hear back in time for this report.
SFPD recruit dies after suffering ‘medical emergency’ during training exercise
Earlier this year, the recruit joined the SFPD class to pursue his passion to become a law enforcement officer.