Protest have sparked after the Los Angeles Police shot and killed and unarmed homeless man. The disturbing footage, which was recorded by an observer, can be seen below.
Video footage shows a struggle between a homeless man and about four officers. Another set of LAPD were cuffing another homeless individual when shots rang out.
When the shots were fired, the man was wrestled to the ground and tased multiple times.
LAPD has responded to the furor over the shooting, which has rapidly spread over the internet.
“At some point in there, a struggle over one of the officer’s weapons occurred,” LAPD Commander Andrew Smith told the Los Angeles Times.”At that point an officer-involved shooting happened.”
Activists have rallied at the scene of the unnamed man.
Eyewitnesses chided the police on the stop.
“Mother f**ker…they just killed that man, they just shot that man like that. Ain’t nobody got no guns, but I’m gonna record this s**t,” one man said. “That’s f**ked up. That man is dead now. Cowards. Six mother f**king police. You just killed this man. The Black mother f**ker killed him. You sell out mother f**ker.”
Below is the full statement from the LAPD.
Central Area Officer Involved Shooting
Los Angeles: Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Central Area officers and Safer City Initiative officers attempted to detain a robbery suspect in the 500 Block of San Pedro Street, and an Officer Involved Shooting occurred.
At approximately noon today, a private citizen placed a 9-1-1 emergency call to report a robbery near 545 South San Pedro Street in downtown Los Angeles. LAPD Communications Division subsequently dispatched Central Area officers to the location who located the suspect and attempted to contact him. After making contact, however, the suspect began fighting and physically resisting the officers attempts to take him into custody. The officers attempted to use a TASER to subdue him but the suspect continued to fight and resist the officers and fell to the ground. While on the ground, the suspect and officers struggled over one of the officer’s handguns and then an officer-involved shooting occurred. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded and pronounced the suspect deceased at the scene. LAFD paramedics then transported the suspect’s body to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Officer. Two of the responding officers involved in the incident suffered minor injuries and were treated and released.
As in all officer-involved shootings, LAPD’s specialized Force Investigative Division (FID) personnel responded to preserve and collect evidence and interview witnesses to the incident. Portions of the incident captured on video from various sources will be reviewed and analyzed as part of the ongoing use of force investigation. FID’s comprehensive investigation will be conducted in coordination with the LAPD’s Office of Inspector General and presented to the Board of Police Commissioners to determine whether the use of deadly force was consistent with Department policies and procedures. Additionally, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Justice System Integrity Division will conduct a comprehensive review of the facts of the officer-involved shooting.