Manuel de Jesus Espina was 43 when he was fatally shot on his birthday, August 16, 2008, in the basement of the Langley Park apartment building where he lived. The officer involved was Steven Jackson, an off-duty Prince George’s County police officer working as a security guard at the complex. The encounter began when Jackson confronted Espina about drinking a beer in public and escalated into a violent confrontation.

Accounts differ sharply. Jackson said Espina became aggressive, swung at him, and tried to take his gun, prompting Jackson to shoot in self-defense. Eyewitnesses and an autopsy told a different story: they said Espina was unarmed, was pepper-sprayed, beaten with fists and a metal baton, and then shot. The autopsy noted severe beating around Espina’s left eye and multiple bruises and contusions.

No criminal charges were filed. Espina’s widow and son sued Jackson and Prince George’s County; in 2011 a civil jury found Jackson acted with malice, violated Espina’s constitutional rights, and awarded the family $11.5 million, a judgment the county later contested under a statutory cap.