A civil lawsuit has been filed against the city of Sacramento, the Sacramento Police Department, Officer Matthew Sterling, and Police Chief Katherine Lester, following the death of a 66-year-old woman a week after an encounter with Sterling. The lawsuit, filed by the daughter of Nyota Koya, alleges excessive force and wrongful death.
Koya was found stranded in her car in the parking lot of the Haggin Oaks Golf Course in Sacramento on November 17, 2024. Officer Sterling responded to a trespassing report and initially offered to help Koya find a shelter and have her car towed. According to the Sacramento Bee, another officer was present but left the scene for a period.
Bodycam footage reportedly shows that over two hours after the initial interaction, Sterling pulled Koya from her car. Koya expressed frustration and discomfort, stating she was 66, had swollen ankles, and her car and phone were not working. Sterling can be heard on the footage asking if she wanted to go to jail.
Koya responded by calling the situation "bullshit" and expressing her weariness. After a verbal exchange, Koya closed her car door, but Sterling then opened it and pulled her out. Koya shouted, "You ain't no police! You bitch ass motherfucker! Hell no! Let me fucking go! Let me go!"
Footage indicates Sterling pushed Koya face-down onto the road, placing his knee on her back before handcuffing her. She was then placed in the police car, where she lost consciousness. Paramedics later arrived and found Koya had no pulse. She was transported to Mercy San Juan Medical Center, where she died a week later.
The lawsuit includes screenshots from bodycam footage that appear to show Sterling smiling while kneeling over Koya. A medical examiner determined Koya's death was from complications of pulmonary thromboembolism, ruling it a natural death.
Koya's daughter, Nathifa Wright, stated that her mother was "her world." Sterling remains employed by the Sacramento Police Department. Legal counsels for Koya's estate, the police department, the City of Sacramento, and Sterling have been contacted for comment.