SAN DIEGO — Will Walters, who sued the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) for discrimination when he was arrested for wearing a short kilt-like costume at the LGBT Pride festival in 2011, was found dead Wednesday at his apartment in Hillcrest in an apparent suicide.
Dec. 13, an eight-member jury in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District with federal Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo presiding took less than two hours to reach the verdict in favor of the SDPD.
Walters had accused the city of selectively enforcing the public nudity law at the event because of a bias against the LGBT community. Walters and his attorney, Chris Morris, had made no comment following the verdict.
SDPD were called to the apartment by a neighbor late Wednesday, where they found Walters dead. The time of death was unclear and is under investigation.
“Will Walters was a valiant warrior for his cause, and he will be missed by those who knew him and the community he fought for,” Morris said Thursday as reported by the Union Tribune.
Following the verdict Walters had not been seen by his attorney and some close friends had been unable to contact him.
City Commissioner and LGBT activist Nicole Murray Ramirez told the Union Tribune, “He was a young activist and many of us thought he had a bright future in our community, and it’s a loss to our community,”
This is a developing story.
