Family says Modest police 'trigger-happy': Modesto officers assailed over 2004 fatal shooting of Sammy Galvan

Friends and family of Sammy Galvan, fatally shot by Modesto police officers in August, marched downtown Saturday to demand justice for what they said was an unnecessary death. Chanting "Sammy Galvan will be heard, justice will be served" and "Hey hey, ho ho, these killer cops have got to go," about 55 people met in front of the Modesto Police Department at 10th and G streets at 11 a.m. The rally ended at Graceada Park, where family and friends delivered speeches railing against the police. "We want to show the public that changes need to be made here," said Susan Galvan, Sammy's mother. "They're trigger-happy. They totally murdered him." Police said officers Lyndon Yates and Mirl Morse shot Galvan when he confronted them with a knife as they investigated a domestic dispute. Sammy Galvan's criminal history included three convictions for assaulting a peace officer. There were three witnesses to the shooting, police officials said: the two officers and Galvan. But Galvan's girlfriend, 23-year-old Yesenia Perez, said she saw the shooting and that the police version is "not true." She would not describe her version. "I don't feel comfortable talking about it," Perez said, struggling to speak through tears. "I'm always going to have that image (of Galvan being shot). I'll always remember that. I see that. And I don't even know how to take it in. I don't know how to deal with it." Susan Galvan said the family filed a complaint against the police in December. Their lawyer has advised them not to discuss the shooting, she said. [more]