LAPD Defends Shooting of Slain Homeless Man
Tue Mar 3, 2015 10:24AM
presstv.ir
The Los Angeles Police Department has defended a police officer who shot dead an unarmed homeless man in the district of Skid Row on Sunday.
The fatal shooting came to light after a disturbing video posted online showing a group of US police officers fatally shoot the man, known as Africa, in a violent altercation in Los Angeles, California.
The amateur footage showed the officers scuffle with the man standing on a sidewalk in Skid Row area near downtown.
While the man remained on the ground, at least one of the officers opened fire. Five gunshots can be heard in the footage. The man was taken to a hospital but later was pronounced dead.
"While on the ground and struggling with the officers, the man forcibly grabbed one of the officers' holstered pistols, resulting in an officer-involved shooting," Police Chief Charlie Beck told reporters Monday despite the footage and witnesses’ accounts.
Anthony Blackburn, the onlooker who caught the video, said Monday that he didn’t see the man reach for an officer’s gun.
Why did not they simply “shoot the man in the leg?” Blackburn asked. “He’s already on the ground.”
Witness Dennis Horne told the Los Angeles Times that when Africa refused to comply with a police order to come out of the tent, the officers used a taser on him and dragged him out. He, however, continued to struggle that led to the shooting.
Another witness said the man was asked to take down his tent. The homeless in the area are allowed to remain in the street during the night, but they are supposed to remove their tents in the daytime under a court agreement.
Beck, who is under pressure for harsh police tactics used against Africa, said two of the officers were wearing body cameras, but he refused to release the footage.
"At this point in the investigation it would not be proper for us to release it," Beck said, adding that he believed the officers "acted compassionately up until the time force was required."
The shocking incident went viral and triggered widespread condemnation of police action. In recent months, several police fatal shootings of black men have outraged the African-American community in the United States.
Protests were held for months against police violence and racial profiling.
presstv.ir
The Los Angeles Police Department has defended a police officer who shot dead an unarmed homeless man in the district of Skid Row on Sunday.
The fatal shooting came to light after a disturbing video posted online showing a group of US police officers fatally shoot the man, known as Africa, in a violent altercation in Los Angeles, California.
The amateur footage showed the officers scuffle with the man standing on a sidewalk in Skid Row area near downtown.
While the man remained on the ground, at least one of the officers opened fire. Five gunshots can be heard in the footage. The man was taken to a hospital but later was pronounced dead.
"While on the ground and struggling with the officers, the man forcibly grabbed one of the officers' holstered pistols, resulting in an officer-involved shooting," Police Chief Charlie Beck told reporters Monday despite the footage and witnesses’ accounts.
Anthony Blackburn, the onlooker who caught the video, said Monday that he didn’t see the man reach for an officer’s gun.
Why did not they simply “shoot the man in the leg?” Blackburn asked. “He’s already on the ground.”
Witness Dennis Horne told the Los Angeles Times that when Africa refused to comply with a police order to come out of the tent, the officers used a taser on him and dragged him out. He, however, continued to struggle that led to the shooting.
Another witness said the man was asked to take down his tent. The homeless in the area are allowed to remain in the street during the night, but they are supposed to remove their tents in the daytime under a court agreement.
Beck, who is under pressure for harsh police tactics used against Africa, said two of the officers were wearing body cameras, but he refused to release the footage.
"At this point in the investigation it would not be proper for us to release it," Beck said, adding that he believed the officers "acted compassionately up until the time force was required."
The shocking incident went viral and triggered widespread condemnation of police action. In recent months, several police fatal shootings of black men have outraged the African-American community in the United States.
Protests were held for months against police violence and racial profiling.
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