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Officer Houston Tipping Biography
Who was Officer Houston Tipping ?
The Los Angeles Police Department has been hit with a wrongful death lawsuit after an officer was “beaten to death” in a training exercise meant to “simulate a mob attack.”
Officer Houston Tipping was “hit repeatedly in the head hard enough to bleed” during a training activity, a lawsuit filed by his mother, Shirley Huffman, alleges.
Tipping, 32, was left with multiple fractures to his neck and suffered a ‘catastrophic spinal injury’ that caused his death, the lawsuit states. The five-year LAPD veteran also sustained multiple injuries that required stitches.
The department said Tipping was injured while “fighting” with another officer and called his death a “horrible accident.” No one has been arrested or charged in his death.
The tip was buried last Wednesday during a funeral service attended by LAPD Police Chief Michel Moore, department leaders and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.
Death
Huffman filed the complaint against the city on Friday, just two days after Tipping’s funeral, alleging wrongful death, assault and battery and civil rights violations.
Huffman claims that the training exercise that led to her son’s death had “already been called into question” before he was injured due to injuries sustained by other officers.
His attorney, Bradley Gage, said the allegations outlined in the lawsuit are based on interviews with witnesses and people familiar with the matter.
LAPD, which declined to detail the nature of the exercise, told the Los Angeles Times that officials are taking the “issue seriously.”
Investigation
The department has launched an investigation into the incident to determine if “there are any changes that need to be made” to prevent a future tragedy.
“It’s tragic and we are all saddened by his loss,” LAPD spokeswoman Capt. Kelly Muniz told the newspaper on Friday.
Huffman’s lawsuit calls for unspecified financial compensation and punitive damages from the city.
The grieving mother also wants the city to keep all the evidence in the case, including “videos of the entire training exercise and the actions taken against Officer Tipping.”
LAPD officials say Tipping fell to the ground during training at the department’s Elysian Park Academy on May 26.
Officers immediately began CPR, contacted Los Angeles Fire Department crews, and Tipping was transported to USC Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries three days later.
Family
His family, colleagues and loved ones attended a funeral to honor his life on Wednesday.
During the funeral, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore knelt before Tipping’s parents and presented them with an American flag.
The boss called Tipping impressive to his peers and said he had a ‘willingness to go the extra mile to make the world a better place’.
Huffman, referenced Moore’s comments in his lawsuit, claiming that despite the praise, “it was not enough to prevent other officers from paralyzing and eventually killing him in violation of the law and his civil rights.”
Tipping patrolled the Devonshire neighborhood and “loved serving as a police officer,” according to the Los Angeles Police Protection League, which said he will be remembered “for how he loved and made people laugh.”
He was also an organ donor, Moore revealed last month, and his “altruism” was used to help “save other lives.”
Tips are survived by his parents, Richard and Shirley; his stepfather Bob his; siblings Kat and Tyler; and his girlfriend, Britney.
Houston Tipping Quick and Facts
- Shirley Huffman filed a wrongful death suit against the city of Los Angeles
- She claims her son, LAPD cop Houston Tipping, was ‘beaten to death’ during a police training exercise meant to ‘simulate a mob’
- Tipping was ‘repeatedly struck in the head severely enough that he bled’
- He was also left with multiple breaks in his neck and suffered a ‘catastrophic spinal injury’ which caused his death, the suit claims
- LAPD said Tipping was injured while ‘grappling’ with another officer and referred to his death as a ‘horrible accident
