Los Angeles sheriff’s deputies fatally shot a Black man who they said had a handgun on Monday afternoon after a stop turned into a violent altercation, the authorities said.
The Los Angeles County deputies handcuffed the man, Dijon Kizzee, 29, after firing at him several times in Westmont, a South Los Angeles neighborhood. The aftermath of the shooting was recorded by bystanders, who protested the authorities’ deadly use of force. As the day turned to evening, a crowd of protesters gathered at the site of the shooting.
Mr. Kizzee was identified early on Tuesday by the Los Angeles County medical examiner-coroner.
According to the Sheriff’s Department, Mr. Kizzee had been riding a bicycle when deputies tried to stop him. The reason for the stop was a code violation related to bicycle riding, according to the department, which did not elaborate on the nature of the violation.
Mr. Kizzee fled, and deputies chased him, the department said. When they caught up with him near West 109th Place and Budlong Avenue around 3:30 p.m., a fight began.
At a news conference, Lt. Brandon Dean of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said he had “punched one of the officers in the face” and dropped some items he had been holding. “The deputies noticed that inside the clothing items that he dropped was a black semiautomatic handgun, at which time” a deputy opened fire, he said.
The Sheriff’s Department said the shooting was under investigation by multiple entities, including the district attorney’s office and the Internal Affairs Bureau, which is standard practice when a civilian is killed by an officer.
The shooting took place about four miles north of where Los Angeles sheriff’s deputies fatally shot an 18-year-old Latino man five times in the back in June in Gardena, use of force that the man’s family contends had been unjustified.
Hours after the shooting on Monday, more than 100 people congregated at the scene. Protesters standing behind yellow tape held up raised fists and signs like “Black Lives Matter,” “Defund the Police” and “Resign All L.A.S.D.”
During chants by the demonstrators, sheriff’s deputies stared silently at the protesters while the lights of two police vehicles shined at the crowd.
One demonstrator, Taegen Meyer, said she had turned out to protest to “stand with community, stand with families and show our dedication to justice.” A group of people who had been protesting for three months coordinated on the encrypted messaging app Signal, she said, declaring it an emergency action.
There was one arrest for unlawful assembly, Deputy Tracy Koerner, a spokesman for the department, said on Tuesday.
The shooting comes as law enforcement officers across the nation are facing intense scrutiny over the use of force and biased policing after George Floyd was killed by the police in Minneapolis. His death, which was captured on a bystander’s video in May, fueled nationwide protests against the police and prompted some to call for departments to be defunded.
Last week, police officers in Kenosha, Wis., shot a Black man, Jacob Blake, in the back while he was attempting to enter the driver’s side of an S.U.V. during a dispute. Three of his children were in the back seat. Mr. Blake’s father told CNN on Monday that his son was paralyzed from the waist down.
The police shooting prompted unrest in several cities, and there were violent clashes in Kenosha and Portland between protesters and right-wing activists, leaving three people dead. President Trump is scheduled to travel to Kenosha on Tuesday, a visit that state and local officials have discouraged. Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic presidential nominee, has spoken with Mr. Blake’s father.
It was not immediately clear if the deputies involved in the shooting on Monday were wearing body cameras. In contrast to the Los Angeles Police Department, which is a separate law enforcement agency, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has been slow to use body cameras, The Los Angeles Times reported in June.
The newspaper cited several reasons for the delay, including cost factors, a lack of a consensus on who is able to get access to the camera footage and red tape. It also reported that it was not uncommon for sheriff’s deputies to wear their own body cameras.
The focus on body cameras followed two fatal shootings by sheriff’s deputies within 24 hours in June. In one case, Andres Guardado, 18, a Latino security guard, was killed by deputies in Gardena.
The Sheriff’s Department said that Mr. Guardado had been carrying a loaded firearm that had a “prohibited magazine” and that he had not been in uniform or recognized as a licensed security officer by the state. Mr. Guardado’s family has said that the killing was not justified.
Phoenix Tso contributed reporting from Los Angeles, and Christine Hauser from New York.
"had" - Google News
September 01, 2020 at 10:42AM
https://ift.tt/3jwOOYN
Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputies Fatally Shoot a Black Man They Say Had a Gun - The New York Times
"had" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2KUBsq7
https://ift.tt/3c5pd6c
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputies Fatally Shoot a Black Man They Say Had a Gun - The New York Times"
Post a Comment