SANTA ANA : Settlement Likely for Slain Man’s Children

The city of Orange will pay damages to five children whose father was shot and killed by a police officer responding to a domestic dispute, according to a tentative agreement reached Friday.

The settlement, for an undisclosed amount, must be approved by the Orange City Council, attorneys said.

On Thursday, a Superior Court jury deliberated less than five hours before finding that Orange Police Officer Jeffrey Mundt used excessive force when he shot and killed Ramon Ibarra, 27, on July 9, 1990.

“All I can say is, it will be enough seed money to help pay for the college education of those children,” said Bruce D. Praet, who represented the city and Mundt during the civil trial in Superior Court in Santa Ana.

The amount of damages to be paid by Orange taxpayers will become public if the settlement is accepted, Praet said.

City Councilman William G. Steiner said a special council session will be held next week to vote on the proposed settlement.

Jurors said after the case that they did not believe Mundt “maliciously” shot Ibarra, attorneys said. The district attorney’s office found that the shooting was justified, and Mundt continues to work for the department.

“The jury felt Mundt either panicked, or lost his cool, but they don’t believe it was quite an execution-style killing,” said attorney Greg Owen, who represented Ibarra’s common-law wife, Connie Owen, and their five children ages 2 to 9. The attorney and client are not related.

Mundt could not be reached for comment.

Praet said the civil case is not likely to have an impact upon the officer’s job. Mundt “happens to be a very good police officer,” he said.

Mundt received his initial police training with the Los Angeles Police Department but was fired during his probation period after an allegation of excessive force, Owen said.

On the night of the shooting, Ibarra flew into a drunken rage and threatened his common-law wife, who called police because she feared for her safety, according to testimony.

Attorney Owen told jurors that the slain man did not pose a serious threat to Mundt. The officer overreacted and shot Ibarra after he verbally challenged the officer and threw two pieces of a broken fan that cut and bruised the officer, Owen argued.

Praet told jurors that Mundt fired his weapon because he feared Ibarra, a former security guard, was reaching for a gun. Ibarra had earlier threatened to kill the officer when Mundt responded to a domestic dispute call at the Ibarra home one week earlier, Praet said.

State law does not recognize common-law couples, and Connie Owen will not receive any portion of the settlement, he said. The money will not be made available to the children until they reach 18, he said.