Sacramento cop killed knife-wielding man who lunged at officer—now city has to pay $160,000

Sacramento has agreed to pay $160,000 to settle a lawsuit stemming from the fatal police shooting of a man wielding a knife on a light rail train in 2023.

The incident occurred on August 15 at the Sacramento City College light rail station after bystanders called 911 to report a man on board the train waving a “machete type of knife.” Police arrived and found 44-year-old Dante Dwaine Day alone on the train holding the knife, after other passengers had already fled.

Officers ordered Day not to touch the weapon, and he responded, “I’m scared of you all, bro.”

“Please, please, please, sir. Please, I know you all got to do your job, but I’m scared of you all right now,” he told officers, according to the New York Post.

After de-escalation efforts failed, officers fired a bean bag shotgun at Day, which appeared to agitate him. Police said Day then lunged toward officers with the knife, prompting an officer to open fire with lethal rounds.

Following the fatal shooting, an attorney filed a lawsuit on behalf of Day’s father, arguing that Day was experiencing a mental health episode and that officers failed to properly handle the situation. The lawsuit claimed that while Day boarded the train with a weapon, he did not threaten to harm anyone.

“Mr. Day’s behavior towards the officers signified that he was not of sound mind. Neither Officer Doe 1 nor Officer Doe 2 called for a crisis interventionist,” the lawsuit stated. “Officer Doe 1 and Officer Doe 2 made no attempt to de-escalate the situation in a manner that appropriately responded to Day’s state of distress.”

“Mr. Day exhibited signs of extreme mental distress. Day sat down … Officer Doe 1 and Officer Doe 2 entered the train. Mr. Day repeatedly stated that he was scared. Day begged the officers not to kill him. Mr. Day stood up,” the attorney added. “Officer Doe 1 shot Day three times with a bean bag shotgun. Mr. Day ran towards Officer Doe 1. Officer Doe 1 fired 10 bean bags at Day. Mr. Day collapsed to the floor.”

The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office later defended the officers’ actions, ruling the shooting a lawful act of self-defense. In a 2024 letter, the office stated that officers “reasonably feared for their safety and the safety of other officers,” and that “Under these circumstances, the decisions to use deadly force were justified.”

Still, the city has now agreed to settle the lawsuit, awarding Day’s father $160,000.