Family of SFPD recruit who died in training exercise files wrongful death suit

SFPD cited by Cal/OSHA following recruit's death

Cal/OSHA has fined the San Francisco Police Department following the death of a recruit.

SAN FRANCISCO - The family of a San Francisco police recruit who died following a training exercise last summer on Thursday announced the filing of a wrongful death civil rights lawsuit.

Jon-Marques Psalms, 30, died in August 2025 after participating in an intense training session at the city's police academy. 

His parents, Christina and Marcus Psalms, and their attorney, Brad Gage, allege the city was negligent in monitoring recruits during the exercise and failed to adequately protect trainees. They are suing the city, the San Francisco Police Department and then-Chief of Police Paul Yep.

Psalms is believed to have died following a "red man" drill — an exercise in which recruits wear heavily padded suits to absorb blows — conducted immediately after an intense physical workout.

A second autopsy commissioned by the family found brain bleeds that the family's attorney said can result from extreme physical exertion.

What the lawsuit says

What we know:

The lawsuit seeks financial compensation and calls for changes to training procedures to prevent similar deaths. The family is also demanding the city preserve any video footage recorded during the training session that day, with the attorney noting that best practices in law enforcement call for recording exercises for review purposes.

Psalms' parents described their son as the emotional core of the family and said it had been his childhood dream to become a police officer and serve his community.

In a statement, the city attorney's office said, "Recruit Officer Psalms death is a tragedy, and our thoughts are with his loved ones. We will review the complaint and respond in court."

SFPD cited

Dig deeper:

Following Psalms’ death, Cal/OSHA confirmed it cited the police department for two accident-related violations.

The agency said the department failed "to effectively identify and evaluate workplace safety and health hazards associated with strenuous physical training activities," and failed "to provide adequate instruction and training to supervisory employees responsible for overseeing those activities." The proposed penalties total $40,500.