A video has emerged of police in Los Angeles shooting dead a mentally ill homeless man during a struggle.
The graphic film of the shooting was posted on Facebook and showed a man fighting with six police officers before five shots were fired.
It was the latest in a series of controversial US police shootings after other recent deaths in New York and Ferguson, Missouri, led to widespread protests.
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| Police in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. Credit: Facebook / Anthony Blackburn |
Several witnesses claimed the man, known as “Africa” had already been restrained when he was shot. The video showed a small group angrily shouting at officers, particularly the single black officer at the scene, immediately afterwards.
One shouted: “Why did you shoot that man? You got (him) tased. Why did you shoot that man?” Another yelled: “Ain’t nobody got no gun!” Larry Jackson, a witness, said: “Instead of handcuffing the guy they straight out shot him.”
Anthony Blackburn, the bystander who filmed the video, claimed the young black officer was among those who opened fire.
He told KABC-TV: “I had my phone out videotaping the whole thing because we’ve been hearing on the news about police brutality. I just wanted to film it and just make sure everything was all right. But I ended up seeing a tragedy.”
The video was viewed 4.3 million times in the 12 hours after it was posted on the internet.
The shooting happened on Skid Row, an area of downtown Los Angeles populated by homeless people in tents and makeshift cardboard shelters.
Witnesses said Africa had been there up to five months and had “a lot of mental issues”.
One said he had recently been released after 10 years in a mental health facility. Another told the Los Angeles Times he had refused to remove his tent from the pavement, adding: “This man got shot over a tent.”
The Los Angeles police department said an independent investigation would be launched and the officers who opened fire would be removed from field duty during it. At least one officer was wearing a body camera.
A spokesman said officers responded to a suspected robbery. The suspect then began swinging his arms at them and they used a stun gun but that was “ineffective.”
In a struggle on the ground the suspect tried to grab one of the officer’s guns and they opened fire, the spokesman said..
During the video, “drop the gun!” can be heard. Police said they would amplify the sound to determine exactly what warning was given.
Steve Soboroff, Los Angeles police commission president, said: “I would encourage people not to rush to judgment. It’s not fair to anybody.”
Source: The Telegaph
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