More than a dozen Saline County sheriff’s officers and employees named in 2025 lawsuit after suspicious death on I-30 | News

Barajas died on Jan. 15. The incident occurred after Saline County deputies approached Barajas’ white Nissan SUV parked on the I-30 eastbound ramp, according to SCSO incident reports. However, reports of the incident are conflicting, with some saying Barajas’ vehicle was parked in the middle of the road, and another saying the vehicle was “parked partially in the road.”

According to Daniel’s sisters, he was on his way to visit a newborn niece and nephew when the incident occurred. The collision took Barajas’ life after Saline County Sheriff’s deputies told him he was not allowed to operate his vehicle. The lawsuit alleges that Barajas was first struck by a vehicle at 5:57 a.m.

“We miss Daniel very much. We were all so close and we never imagined this would happen. When we were young, we traveled all over the country. We’ve been to almost every state. Dan has probably visited all of them and we like to think that we are safe as taxpayers driving on our highways,” Xexilla Barajas, Daniel’s sister, said at a news conference in April. “Tragedies like this happen on our highways, but you would never think that they happen at the hands of people in uniform. We love Daniel and we miss him very much.”

Barajas was 38 years old at the time of his death. He had made contact with sheriff’s deputies less than two hours before his death. According to SCSO incident reports filed after Barajas’ death, he was asleep in his car when they approached him. After the contact, deputies told Barajas not to drive his vehicle, even though EMTs found Daniel to be coherent and aware of his surroundings and current situation. The Saline County coroner’s report ruled Barajas’ death a suicide.

“It is important to note that all reports intended to document Daniel’s condition and behavior were filed after Daniel’s death and that the Defendant officers had the opportunity to discuss the contents of each other’s reports,” the lawsuit states.

Saline County officials and other authorities have denied the allegations in their response to Barajas’ mother’s original complaint.