The family of a 72-year-old Alpine man who was fatally shot in his home by a San Diego County sheriff’s deputy has filed a lawsuit against the county.
Deputies entered Robert Liddell’s home on Nov. 5, 2025 and encountered Liddell, who had been sleeping and was disoriented after the lawmen shined bright flashlights in his eyes, according to the complaint filed Wednesday in San Diego federal court.
Liddell, who was “startled awake by the presence of intruders in his home,” was holding a BB gun when the deputies approached, the lawsuit states.
One of the deputies, Jordi Herrera, shot Liddell four times. He died later at a hospital.
According to the lawsuit, deputies responded after a neighbor called police and stated she knocked on Liddell’s front door, which she said caused it to almost open.
The lawsuit notes the woman “reported no crime, no violence, no weapon, no injury and no sound of distress.”
Herrera and fellow deputy Christopher Kleppe responded and found the home’s front door shut, but went inside.