The LAPD shooting and killing of a home man in downtown Los Angeles Sunday had reportedly been caught on video. According to authorities Sunday, the LAPD shooting occurred on skid row during a struggle over an officer's weapons.
Skid row is a neighbourhood of homeless people and shelters close to the financial district. The unidentified man was pronounced dead shortly after the LAPD shooting, which unfolded just before midday, reported The Guardian.
On Monday, police said the victim of the LAPD shooting was a robbery suspect who grabbed at an officer's gun during the scuffle that occurred because they allegedly tried to subdue him in a confrontation.
Police officials later offered a detailed report of what they say prompted the LAPD shooting, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The man is known by the street name Africa. He had been living in a tent outside the Union Rescue Mission building for weeks. He apparently had a history of violent, erratic behaviour.
There is now footage of the LAPD shooting circulating on the Internet. This latest police occurrence marks the latest in a string of incidents that have put police in the U.S. under more scrutiny over their use of lethal force.
The video on the LAPD shooting, eventually posted on Facebook, showed officers wrestling with "Africa" beside what appears to be an improvised tent. The man resisted, flailing his limbs.
A woman passing by was also seen in the video scooping up a nightstick dropped by an officer. Two officers were able to handcuff her. Meanwhile, their colleagues continued grappling with the homeless man.
A man appearing to be one of the officers is heard shouting "Drop the gun, drop the gun." Five gunshots are fired after. The officers then stood back, with some drawing their guns. The homeless man is then seen laying motionless on the ground.
"They just killed that man," one witness can be heard saying in the LAPD shooting video. "They just shot that motherfuckin' man like that."
According to Reuters, local civil rights activists have already called on the city police commission to hold a hearing on the police using force on skid row.
Chief executive of the rescue mission, Andy Bale, said the LAPD shooting immediately amplified racial tensions between police and the homeless community in the area.
Questions about the LAPD shooting of a homeless man are now focused on how police handled themselves in approaching someone who is potentially mentally ill.
The homeless man's mental history has not been discussed. However, the Los Angeles Times reported the man spent some time in a mental facility. The man was also said to have previously exhibited a confusing mix of polite cooperation and periodic aggression.
According to police, an internal investigation into the LAPD shooting is underway. The Los Angeles Police Protective League, an officers union, is now reportedly urging the public to reserve judgment until all facts were presented. The League noted that the LAPD shooting video shows the officers "were in life-threatening danger," hence the shooting.
As of the current moment, police have yet to identify the homeless man, how many officers were involved, or how many shots were fired.
The victim was declared dead at a hospital shortly after the LAPD shooting, according to LAPD spokesman Sgt. Barry Montgomery.
Montgomery also told LA television station KTLA that the LAPD shooting incident would be fully investigated.
"It's going to be a long investigation and we will, you know, get to the bottom of it," he said.
The department did not immediately respond to a request for elaboration by The Guardian.
The LAPD shooting video can be watched via The Guardian's report here.
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