Family of man shot by Portland preschool security guard files $15M wrongful death lawsuit
Police investigate after a security guard at Gan Jewish Preschool shot and wounded someone near the school on Thursday, May 8, 2025. (KATU)
.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — The family of a man shot and killed by an armed security guard near a Portland Jewish preschool in May has filed a wrongful death lawsuit seeking more than $15 million in damages.
Manuel Garza, 32, of Wilsonville, Oregon, was shot on May 8 in the 6600 block of Southwest Capitol Highway.
Eric Salisbury, a licensed armed security guard at the Gan Jewish Preschool, said Garza drove through the school’s parking lot and into the adjacent Fanno Creek Medical Clinic lot. The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office later released body-worn camera footage from Salisbury showing the moments leading up to the shooting.
The video shows Garza exiting his vehicle and approaching Salisbury, who then put his arms around Garza’s neck in a chokehold. The two struggled, and the confrontation ended when Salisbury fired his gun at close range, striking Garza in the stomach.
CONTENT WARNING: The video released by the DA’s office is graphic and depicts the shooting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWPjrjnb4Rc[/embedyt]
Garza died at a hospital on May 23.
Over a month after the incident, the district attorney’s office announced it would not press charges, citing self-defense.
In the wrongful death lawsuit filed Thursday, Garza’s sister, Melissa Garza, states that Manuel was experiencing a mental health episode at the time. According to the suit, he was driving while listening to music to calm himself and “was not breaking any laws or disturbing the peace.”
The lawsuit claims Salisbury escalated the situation by following Garza into the neighboring parking lot, an area where the suit says he “had no business being and no authority to provide security services,” as his employment was limited to the preschool.
“Manuel was cornered in the Fanno lot and had no option but to defend himself from the fast-approaching, armed, and yelling Salisbury,” the lawsuit alleges.
The complaint adds that Salisbury initiated the first physical contact by placing Garza in a chokehold, which escalated into a physical confrontation, ultimately leading to the shooting. The family claims Salisbury made no effort to deescalate, contact law enforcement, or notify the preschool of an imminent threat.
The lawsuit names Salisbury, the security company he worked for, and the preschool, seeking $15,210,000 in damages.
.
About Post Author
