Investigators try to gain grasp of LAPD shooting

An unarmed man shot by Los Angeles police remained in critical condition Sunday as investigators continued to piece together the circumstances that led to the shooting, authorities said.

The man was shot Friday evening by police, who believed he had a gun when he approached officers and raised an arm he had wrapped in a towel, authorities said.

The incident began when the man f lagged down patrol officers about 6: 35 p. m. at Los Feliz Boulevard and Tica Drive south of Griffith Park, police said.

“This person extended an arm wrapped in a towel,” Lt. John Jenal said. “The off icer exited the vehicle and said, ‘ Drop the gun, drop the gun.’”

At that point, at least one of the officers shot the man, officials said. Police have not disclosed how many times the man was shot and have not released further details about the incident, including the man’s name.

Noah Evslin, who lives in the neighborhood, told the Los Feliz Ledger that he be- lieved police shot the man three times, once in the head and twice in the chest. He said he did not witness the shooting but saw the man after he had been wounded.

“I really am sympathetic to everyone involved, the man, the cops, the city,” Evslin told the paper. “I have friends who are cops and I know how hard their job is, especially now, and it’s impossible to know how you’d react to a situation until you’re in the middle of it.”

A motorist filmed graphic video of the officers handcuffing the man, who had a visible head wound. The footage was circulated Saturday on social media but has since been taken down.

The video prompted questions as to why police would handcuff a man who was seriously wounded.

Cmdr. Andrew Smith, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department, said the officers followed standard procedure in handcuffing the man. At that point, Smith said, the man had not been searched and was considered a suspect.