Title: LAPD Cop Shoots Man to Death After Man Reached into Pocket to Provide Requested ID, Witness Says Source:
Photography Is Not a Crime URL Source:http://photographyisnotacrime.com/2 ... ide-requested-id-witness-says/ Published:May 7, 2015 Author:Carlos Miller Post Date:2015-05-11 08:14:39 by Deckard Keywords:None Views:432
A Los Angeles police officer demanded identification from a homeless man named Brandon Glenn Tuesday night, then shot him twice when the man reached into his pocket to provide that identification, according to a witness.
The witness was interviewed by Luke Rudkowski of We Are Change in the video below, who did not want his face shown on camera out of fear of police retaliation.
But even Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said he was “very concerned” about the shooting after witnessing footage from a surveillance camera that recorded the incident.
“Any time an unarmed person is shot by a Los Angeles police officer, it takes extraordinary circumstances to justify that,” Beck said. “I have not seen those extraordinary circumstances.”
That video has not been released but judging by Beck’s comments, it would contradict the version police initially told the media, which was that Glenn was shot during a “physical altercation” with police.
LAPD officials say the confrontation started after two officers went to Windward Avenue about 11:20 p.m. because someone reported a homeless man with a dog “harassing customers” outside a building. The officers talked to the man briefly, the LAPD said. When he walked toward the Venice boardwalk, the officers returned to their patrol car.
Soon after, police said, the officers saw the man “physically struggling” with a bouncer outside a bar. The officers approached the man and tried to detain him, police said, leading to a “physical altercation.” During that confrontation, one of the officers opened fire.
The witness interviewed by Rudkowski said the cop shot twice with the first bullet ricocheting and striking the officer in the leg, which was when the cop fired again.
ABC7 reported that the cop was hobbling around on crutches after the shooting, but did not indicate why.
The officer who shot the suspect, described by police as a veteran of the force, was on crutches after injuring his knee during the incident.
“Clap, clap, and I was like, ‘What was that?’ And all I see is this dude fall to the ground,” described Dylan Andre, a witness.
Andre was standing near the scene of the shooting, but he said he never heard or saw any scuffle before hearing the gunshots.
“When I heard the clap, it sounded like it came from far left, but it was right in front of me,” Andres said.
The name of the cop has not been released.
Glenn, 29, was living on the streets of Venice after having left New York. The second video below is from Tony Vera, a Los Angeles videographer who was on the scene after the shooting.
