General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsL.A. Police Shoot Unarmed Homeless Man in Broad Daylight
Extremely Graphic Video: L.A. Police Shoot Unarmed Homeless Man in Broad Daylight
There was an altercation, but was lethal force the only option?
By Terrell Jermaine Starr / AlterNet
March 2, 2015
Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department were captured on cellphone video shooting and killing a homeless man in the skid row area Sunday afternoon, the Los Angeles Times reports.
...
Dennis Horne, 29, said Africa had been fighting with someone else in his tent when police arrived.
When Africa refused to comply with a police order to come out of the tent, officers used the Taser on him and dragged him out, Horne said. The officers tackled Africa to the ground, where he continued to fight, which led to the fatal shooting, according to Horne.
...
The officers approached with guns drawn yelling, Down, down, according to Franklin. When Africa got up and started fighting, the officers went straight to lethal force, Franklin said.
But Jose Gil, 38 , said he saw the man swinging at the police and then heard one of the officers say, Gun, gun, he's got my gun! before police fired multiple shots.
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/extremely-graphic-video-la-police-shoot-unarmed-homeless-man-broad-daylight
Video is linked in article if you want to watch it. I didn't.
-------------------------
More from L.A. Times here (first article is more from police pov imho, didn't read second one):
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-police-fatally-shoot-homeless-man-20150301-story.html#page=1
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-lapd-shooting-20150302-story.html
99th_Monkey
(19,326 posts)There were like 3-4 cops on ONE homeless man, and the chicken-shit
coward cops were so scared of one homeless guy they just "had to"
shoot him dead, rather than take a chance that they'd wrinkle their
uniforms in process of subduing him.
I guess the coward killer-cop was really jonesing for a paid vacation.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)excuse was played again.
The officers who are losing their guns so easily should be better trained then. It's clearly just the standard excuse to use when one murders an unarmed victim.
bravenak
(34,648 posts)He stood there like he was in the right. He was not even concerned the man was dying. The crowd told him off. It was disturbing as hell. I've walked on that very spot before. I googled the location.