Homeless man ‘reached for gun’
LOS ANGELES: Police fatally shot a homeless man during a “brutal” videotaped struggle in which an officer cried out that the man had grabbed his gun, the Los Angeles police chief said on Monday.
A video showed the man reaching toward the officer’s waistband, Chief Charlie Beck said. The officer’s gun was found partly cocked and jammed with a round of ammunition in the chamber and another in the ejection port, indicating a struggle for the weapon.
“You can hear the young officer who was primarily engaged in the confrontation saying that ‘He has my gun. He has my gun’,” Mr Beck said. Then three other officers opened fire. The man was black, as was the officer who was just short of completing his first probationary year on the force, police said.
Mr Beck’s narrative of the shooting, including photos from video showing the condition of the gun, was rare, emerging just 24 hours after an officer-involved shooting. It came amid heightened attention to killings by police officers that have led to protests, some violent, across the country.
Sunday’s violence had echoes of the August police shooting of 25-year-old Ezell Ford, whose death in a struggle with LA officers brought demonstrations in the city. Ford was unarmed. Police said he was shot after reaching for an officer’s gun.
Mayor Eric Garcetti said he and the police chief needed to respond quickly to re-assure residents that there is a robust investigation into the shooting, which occurred in the downtown area that is home to the city’s highest concentration of homeless people.
Video of the shooting was caught from multiple perspectives, i ncluding two witnesses recording from their phones and cameras worn by two of the officers who fired their weapons. The American Civil Liberties Union called on the Police Department to quickly release footage shot by the officers’ body cameras.
Mr Beck said the incident began when officers arrived to investigate a reported robbery and the suspect refused to obey their commands and became combative.
A security camera outside a homeless shelter about 23 metres away showed the suspect pushed over a neighbours’ tent and then the two engaged in an altercation. Paramedics showed up before police. When officers arrived, they tried to speak to the suspect, who was standing near the entrance of his tent.
The suspect then turned and jumped into his tent, and officers appeared to pull it up and over him in an attempt to flush him out from inside. The suspect jumped out of the tent flailing, kicking and spinning in circles before ending up on the ground.
Mr Beck said officers were in a tough situation and didn’t know if the suspect was arming himself. Stun guns fired at the man had “appeared to have little effect and he continued to violently resist”, Mr Beck said.
One witness began filming from a closer perspective. The video posted to Facebook has drawn millions of views.
As the man took swings, four officers wrestled him to the ground.
The struggle became blurry and distant, but shouting could be heard, followed by five apparent gunshots.
Exactly what happened in the last moments of the struggle is unclear.
On Monday, a memorial sprung up where the shooting occurred, an area known as Skid Row. White roses were placed over a tent, blankets and clothing belonging to the dead man.