Jamiel Shaw’s family sues sheriff over release of alleged killer

The family of slain high school football star Jamiel Shaw II is suing the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, alleging that the department was negligent in releasing Shaw’s suspected killer from prison despite his illegal immigrant status.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, names Sheriff Lee Baca as a defendant and alleges that he “knew or should have known that they were releasing a convicted felon and illegal alien with an extensive history of gang violence into the Los Angeles community to perpetrate killings against African Americans.”

Shaw, 17, a running back who was recruited by Stanford and Rutgers universities, was gunned down in March 2008. Prosecutors allege that Pedro Espinoza, a reputed member of the 18th Street gang who was in the United States illegally, killed Shaw. Espinoza, 19, had been released from jail a day before the shooting, after serving time for an earlier offense.