Trinidad

A Culver City man who was fatally shot by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies after a pursuit in November was struck by bullets five times in the back and once each in the right hip and right forearm, also from behind, according to an autopsy report obtained by The Times. Jose de la Trinidad, a 36-year-old father of two, was killed Nov. 10 by deputies who believed he was reaching for a weapon after a pursuit. But a witness to the shooting said De la Trinidad, who was unarmed, was complying with deputies and had his hands above his head when he was shot.

The family of an unarmed Culver City man fatally shot in the back last November filed a $15-million wrongful-death and civil rights lawsuit against Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies and the county on Friday. Jose de la Trinidad, 36, a father of two, was fatally shot Nov. 10 by deputies who said they believed he was reaching for a weapon after he got out of a car following a short pursuit in an unincorporated county area of Willowbrook. The suit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleges that Deputies Angel Grandes and Alexandro Gonzalez shot and killed De la Trinidad after he got out of the car even though he was complying with the deputies orders and had his hands raised above his head with his back to them.

First there was Kelly Thomas, the unarmed homeless man who was allegedly brutally beaten to death by police in Fullerton. Then there was Manuel Angel Diaz, shot in the back and killed by police last summer in Anaheim, prompting riots and clashes with officers lasting at least three days. And now comes Jose de la Trinidad, who according to a recently released coroner's report was shot by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies five times in the back and once each in the right hip and right forearm.

First there was Kelly Thomas, the unarmed homeless man who was allegedly brutally beaten to death by police in Fullerton. Then there was Manuel Angel Diaz, shot in the back and killed by police last summer in Anaheim, prompting riots and clashes with officers lasting at least three days. And now comes Jose de la Trinidad, who according to a recently released coroner's report was shot by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies five times in the back and once each in the right hip and right forearm.

Michael Parrish's story on Trinidad ("New England West," Jan. 14) took me back to 1950 when, as a graduate student, I supplemented my G.I. Bill by employment with the Census Bureau. While nothing stands still, it seems sad that this quaint village is not a community anymore, but a tourist mecca. What ever happened to the independent men, women and children who migrated there from Nova Scotia to establish a fishing village in this "seaside hamlet"? As I counted noses, I was privileged to listen to ship-to-shore radios in these homes, often the only conversation husbands and wives had with each other for days at a time.

TRINIDAD, Cuba - The taxi from Cienfuegos to Trinidad takes a little more than an hour. It's a breakneck ride on a beautiful road, with densely forested hills rising above cultivated fields. Ambling horse carts veer to the side of the nearly empty highway; we pass them as if they're standing still. "This isn't a taxi," I mutter to my driver, flinching. "It's a private jet. " Trinidad, near Cuba's south-central shore, is one of the country's most beloved destinations: a beautifully preserved Spanish colonial town founded in 1514.

Oliver Camps, manager of the national soccer team of Trinidad and Tobago, is confident that his club will beat the United States in a World Cup qualifying match today at El Camino College. "Officially, I can guarantee that the Trinidad team is going to win," Camps said. "I can guarantee that." Has Camps been studying the motivational technique of Laker Coach Pat Riley? "We are confident because we know exactly what level we have reached," Camps said. "I would be failing in my duty as a manager if I did not feel confident that we could win."

The Felix Trinidad-Bernard Hopkins fight for the undisputed middleweight championship has been rescheduled for Sept. 29 and will remain at New York's Madison Square Garden. The date became available when the World Championships of Wrestling--an amateur event featuring almost 700 athletes from 82 nations--were postponed, partly because of security concerns for international athletes, among them natives of Middle Eastern countries and ethnic Muslims.

So, is the U.S. in soccer's World Cup next year in South Africa? Is it all over but the shouting? "No, I don't think we're in yet," U.S. midfielder Benny Feilhaber said Saturday night, after playing a pivotal role in helping the U.S. defeat El Salvador, 2-1, in Sandy, Utah. "Obviously, it's a huge three points for us. I think we needed to get this win, and we did. Trinidad is the next game, and if we can get three points there we'll be a little bit closer." The U.S.-Trinidad and Tobago game is today (3:30 p.m., ESPN Classic)

The family of an Inglewood man gunned down by L.A. County sheriff's deputies this month is requesting an FBI probe of the shooting and subsequent investigation by the Sheriff's Department. Jose de la Trinidad, 36, was shot and killed by deputies Nov. 10, just minutes after leaving his niece's quinceanera with his older brother. After police attempted to pull the older brother over for speeding, he sped off. After pleading with his brother to stop, Jose de la Trinidad was let out of the car in the 1900 block of East 122nd Street in Willowbrook, family members said.

A Culver City man who was fatally shot by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies after a pursuit in November was struck by bullets five times in the back and once each in the right hip and right forearm, also from behind, according to an autopsy report obtained by The Times. Jose de la Trinidad, a 36-year-old father of two, was killed Nov. 10 by deputies who believed he was reaching for a weapon after a pursuit. But a witness to the shooting said De la Trinidad, who was unarmed, was complying with deputies and had his hands above his head when he was shot.

An 18-year-old woman who witnessed an officer-involved shooting of a Culver City man has told investigators that the victim was standing with his hands on his head when deputies shot and killed him. Her account contradicts Los Angeles County deputies' statement that they fired only after Jose de la Trinidad , an unarmed 36-year-old father of two, seemed to reach for his waistband. The witness told The Times she watched the Nov. 10 shooting - and the events that led up to it - from her bedroom window.

The family of an Inglewood man gunned down by L.A. County sheriff's deputies this month is requesting an FBI probe of the shooting and subsequent investigation by the Sheriff's Department. Jose de la Trinidad, 36, was shot and killed by deputies Nov. 10, just minutes after leaving his niece's quinceanera with his older brother. After police attempted to pull the older brother over for speeding, he sped off. After pleading with his brother to stop, Jose de la Trinidad was let out of the car in the 1900 block of East 122nd Street in Willowbrook, family members said.

TRINIDAD, Cuba - The taxi from Cienfuegos to Trinidad takes a little more than an hour. It's a breakneck ride on a beautiful road, with densely forested hills rising above cultivated fields. Ambling horse carts veer to the side of the nearly empty highway; we pass them as if they're standing still. "This isn't a taxi," I mutter to my driver, flinching. "It's a private jet. " Trinidad, near Cuba's south-central shore, is one of the country's most beloved destinations: a beautifully preserved Spanish colonial town founded in 1514.

Rosanna de la Trinidad anxiously circled the living room of her apartment. After a night spent at her niece's quinceanera , she tucked her two daughters into bed just after 10:20 p.m. and waited for her husband, who was getting a ride home with his brother. Minutes turned to hours; Saturday night gave way to Sunday. "I was pacing, I was crawling, I was all over the place," she said. It wasn't until she watched the morning news that she found out her husband wouldn't be coming home.

With a recent increase in violent crime, Port of Spain, Trinidad, isn't one of the easier places to direct a movie. You might be in the middle of filming a scene and from out of nowhere overly vigilant cops draw their guns and chase one of your actors. Shaun Escayg knows these perils firsthand. When the Trinidadian-born filmmaker was shooting a scene in Port of Spain for his new short, “Fish,” he was startled to see his actor pursued by law enforcement officials, who had mistaken a scripted robbery for the real thing.

Rosanna de la Trinidad anxiously circled the living room of her apartment. After a night spent at her niece's quinceanera , she tucked her two daughters into bed just after 10:20 p.m. and waited for her husband, who was getting a ride home with his brother. Minutes turned to hours; Saturday night gave way to Sunday. "I was pacing, I was crawling, I was all over the place," she said. It wasn't until she watched the morning news that she found out her husband wouldn't be coming home.

BILL ERWIN Character actor got Emmy nomination Bill Erwin, 96, a veteran character actor remembered for his role as Arthur the bellman in the 1980 fantasy film "Somewhere in Time" and his Emmy-nominated guest appearance on "Seinfeld," died Wednesday at his home in Studio City of age-related causes, his son Mike said Friday. Erwin had a long-running career in film, television and theater with dozens of roles in episodic TV. He was nominated for an Emmy Award as outstanding guest actor in a comedy series in 1993 playing the cranky Sid Fields in a "Seinfeld" episode titled "Old Man. " He also had roles in the TV series "Growing Pains," "Gunsmoke," "Highway to Heaven," "Perry Mason," "The Golden Girls," "Twilight Zone," " Zane Grey Theater," "Who's the Boss?"

Amid the seasonal abundance of apricots, cherries, peaches and Boysenberries, it is hard to imagine that a citrus juice would become an object of craving, but few shoppers have any idea just how sweet and flavorful late-harvest Kinnow mandarins can be. Their juice, squeezed fresh at markets by Lucio Trinidad of Piru, is shockingly deep yellow-orange, almost syrupy in texture, and intensely aromatic and sweet, with just enough balancing acidity to...

So much for the vote of confidence. With Mexico needing no worse than a runner-up finish in the eight-team CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament to secure a place in this summer's London Games, Coach Luis Fernando Tena is already facing questions about his future should that fail to happen. And that was before his team took the field Friday. But Tena had reason to breathe easier after Mexico overcame a slow start, riding Marco Fabian's hat trick to a 7-1 win over Trinidad and Tobago in the first round of group play before a Home Depot Center crowd of 8,521.