‘Angelversary’ Set For Today In South Pasadena For Vanessa Marquez

A third year “angelversary” memorial rally will be held at 11 a.m. today in South Pasadena for actress Vanessa Marquez, known for her recurring role on “ER” and her portrayal of Ana Delgado in “Stand and Deliver,” who was fatally shot by South Pasadena police on Aug. 30, 2018.

The rally will be held at 905 Meridian Ave., according to City News Service.

Marquez was shot after police were called to her home in the 1100 block of Fremont Avenue to conduct a welfare check. 

In February, the city of South Pasadena in California reached a settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Marquez’s mother, Delia McElfresh. In the incident, authorities claimed Marquez brandished what officers believed to be a gun.

McElfresh and South Pasadena mutually agreed to settle the case for $450,000, according to NBC News.

In the incident, a friend of Marquez called the South Pasadena Fire Department because Marquez was experiencing seizures, NBC News reported, quoting the lawsuit.

Even though the call was for medical assistance and specifically requested a response by paramedics with the South Pasadena Fire Department, several fully armed police officers from South Pasadena responded instead, the suit claims. One of the officers “falsely claimed Ms. Marquez pointed a gun at him and then at herself.”

Police later stated that Marquez had brandished a BB gun.

“Their armed presence, coupled with the attempted removal of Ms. Marquez from her home against her will, was a militaristic, menacing, and threatening response to a frail and visibly debilitated woman who was exercising her right to remain in her home,” the suit reads. 

“Ms. Marquez’s death was the result of overreaction, excessive use of force, and gross mishandling of the situation,” the suit stated.

All of the suits claims — which included unlawful entry, excessive force, violation of due process, and unreasonable detention — were to be dismissed with prejudice as part of the settlement.

Scheduled speakers at the rally include friends of Marquez; a representative of the National Lawyers Guild; and family members of Marco Vasquez Jr., Cesar Rodriguez, John Horton, Daniel Hernandez, David Sullivan, Anthony Vargas, and others whose loved ones were killed by police, City News Service reported.