A California man faces prison for child endangerment and other charges after a cop shot him during a domestic violence call while he was holding his infant daughter and a cellphone that the officer mistook for a gun.
Steffon Nutall, 30, was sentenced Thursday to 14 years and eight months in prison for an incident that occurred in San Diego in May 2024, according to an email from prosecutors. In March, he pleaded guilty to child endangerment, assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and felon in possession of firearms.
Meanwhile, Nutall has filed a federal lawsuit against the San Diego Police Department and the officer who shot him, claiming that it was excessive.
According to San Diego police, Nutall’s ex-girlfriend called 911 around 10:20 p.m. on May 19, 2024, after he showed up at her front door and threatened to open fire if she did not let him in. Once inside, Nutall pointed a gun at the woman and took their 11-month-old daughter before fleeing the apartment.
Officer Robert Gladysz, who had been with the agency for less than two years, discovered Nutall hiding in a bush.
“Show me your f—ing hands,” Gladysz is heard saying on body camera footage obtained by local CBS affiliate KFMB. “Show me your f—ing hands or you’re getting shot.”
Nutall held up a black object, which Gladysz mistook for a gun. It was actually a telephone.
Gladysz reportedly fired 11 shots, four of which struck Nutall.
“I didn’t see a kid, I saw a gun,” Gladysz later stated.
It turned out that Nutall had dropped the gun in the parking lot while fleeing and before hiding in the bush.
Police rescued the girl, who was unharmed and later returned to her family. According to his attorneys, Nutall suffered serious injuries and is now having difficulty walking.
According to a courtroom report from the City News Service, Nutall stated during his sentencing hearing that he did not possess a firearm.
“He had no reason to shoot at me, period,” he allegedly stated.
He also stated that he was there to protect his daughter and did not intend to put her in harm’s way.
In his lawsuit, Nutall claims that the shooting was “unnecessary.” According to the lawsuit, which was filed in the US Southern District of California:
At no time during this incident did Plaintiff pose any reasonable or credible threat of violence to the Defendant Officer Gladysz, nor did Plaintiff do anything to justify the deadly force used against him. That force used against him was excessive, unnecessary, and unlawful. Both prior to and during the time in which he was shot, Plaintiff posed no reasonable threat of violence to the Defendant Officer Gladysz, or any other individual. At no time during this incident did Plaintiff pose any reasonable or credible threat of violence to the Defendant Officer Gladysz, nor did Plaintiff do anything to justify the deadly force used against him. That force used against him was excessive, unnecessary, and unlawful. Both prior to and during the time in which he was shot, Plaintiff posed no reasonable threat of violence to the Defendant Officer Gladysz, or any other individual.
Nutall claims Gladysz violated his civil rights and assaulted him. The case is ongoing.
