CHIEF BECK SHOOTING POLICE PRESSER / KABC / HD
INT BROLL POLICE CHIEF CHARLIE BECK PRESSER ON LAPD SHOOTING
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NNS 02 SKID ROW LAPD CHIEF BECK NEWSER KTTV FOX
Charlie Beck, Chief of Police LAPD
15:03:15 Let me start by saying this is a tragedy. It was also a very intense situation and brutal brutal fight. It highlights the homeless and mental illness issues that trouble us in our skid row area. At approximately 12:00 noon on Sunday, officers from LAPD central area station were dispatched to the 500 block of south Sampedro.
15:03:46 They were dispatched to a citizen report of a robbery call. Upon arrival the, officers and a supervisor made contact with the victim who directed them to a suspect's location. When police approached the suspect, he repeatedly refused to comply with officers' commands and then began to fight with them. During the altercation, officers used tasers in an attempt to subdue the man.
15:04:14 However, the tasers appeared to have little effect and he continued to violently resist. While on the ground, and struggling with the officers, the man forcibly grabbed one of the officer's holstered pistols resulting in an officer-involved shooting. Officers immediately summoned Los Angeles fire department paramedics to the scene who determined the man was deceased. Paramedics transported him to the L.A. County coroner's office.
0453 Two of the officers involved in the incident sustained injuries. They were treated and released from area hospital. One is on crutches at this moment and is recuperating at home. As with all officer-involved shootings, LAPD specialize forced investigation division responded to preserve and collect evidence and to interview witnesses to the shooting. As you know, portions of this incident were captured on video from various sources including two body-worn cameras on officers at the scene.
0523 These will be reviewed and analyzed as part of the ongoing investigation. Force investigation's investigation will be comprehensive and will be conducted in coordination with LAPD's office of inspector general and will be presented to the board of police commissioners to determine whether use of deadly force in this incident was consistent with department policies and procedures.
0549 Also, the L.A. County district attorney's justice systems integrity division responded to the scene and will conduct a comprehensive review of all facts which result in the shooting. The officers involved in this incident are assigned to our safer cities initiative in central area and are specially trained on dealing with homeless people and mental illness issues.
0614 Several of the officers have participated and completed our most extensive mental illness training, over a 36-hour course. All of the officers had had training to some extent in dealing with the mentally ill. Photos of the officer's pistol are on my right. As you can see, the slide is partially engaged and a round has been partially ejected and fouled the firing chamber.
0645 This is indicative of a struggle over the weapon. As you can also see, the
magazine is dislodged from its resting place. This is also indicative of force used on the weapon. There's also a screen grab from a privately taken video. If you examine that, it appears that the suspect's hand is reaching for the officer's waistband in the area where his pistol would be located. There's also a photo of a standard Glock pistol without its slide engaged, and you can use that for comparison purposes so you can see the effect of the struggle on the officer's weapon.
0728 As I started, this is an extreme tragedy. We feel great compassion in the LAPD for people who live in conditions of homelessness and often mental illness with no treatment. We prepare our officers to deal as best they can with them, but the reality is this is much more than a problem that the police, alone, can solve. I've reviewed the other videos.
0803 It appears to me the officers acted compassionately up until the time when force was required. These are very difficult situations. My heart goes out to the family of the man who was killed, and also to the Los Angeles police officers who had to be part of this tragedy.
0821 As always, anybody that saw, recorded, or in other ways may have information regarding this incident, we ask to contact the LAPD. This investigation is ongoing. You will have many questions, which I cannot answer, because it is premature. But we will find out truth of this matter. With that, I'll take a couple questions.
QUESTIONS
Q: Based on what you know now, I know it's still in the investigative process and we'll learn more in the days and weeks ahead, based on what you know now, does it appear to you that the officers acted justifiably when they fired shots at this man?
0901 Part of my role as chief of police is to adjudicate these investigations, and it would be inappropriate for me to go that far and to make a statement about the propriety of this incident until I have seen all the evidence. And I ask the public to do the same thing. These are exhaustive investigations.
0923 They're conducted not only by the police department, but by the inspector general who works directly for the police commission and not from me. Also reviewed by the district attorney who as investigators roll to the scene at the time of the shooting. Also reviewed through our internal process before it goes to police commission. These are some of the most exhaustive investigations we do, and I ask that just as I do, that folks not rush to judgment either on the actions of the officers or the actions of the deceased.
Q: I know that you've talked about -- it appears that the gentleman reaching for the officer's gun, can you also talk a little bit about the audio on the video? Can you confirm whether it was officers that said "Drop the gun"?
1020 I have reviewed the video and the audio, and preliminarily, it -- you can hear the young officer who is primarily engaged in the confrontation, saying that "He has my gun, he has my gun." He says it several times.
Q: He has my gun?
1044 Well, and I've heard other audios that sound a little dissimilar, but the one that I heard the most clear is the officer saying "He has my gun." He says it several times, with conviction.
Q: Two of those officers were wearing body cameras.
1100 Well you know there is compelling video and some of that video you've already seen. There a multiple avenues to collect videos, the corner of 5th and St. Pedral. Dozens, literally if stationary cameras, but there.. ill get there and there are also two officers with body cameras and that offers officers a unique perspective.
1129 WE believe will be crucial to determining the propriety and I know the media would love to have that video and it would certainly serve the purpose for the media's cycle. But at this point of the investigation It would not proper for us to release.,
Q: What is the policy what should officers do when trying to ...suspect?
1216 I'll speak in general terms not specific to this incident. In the videos that I have looked at, individual on the outside of the tent, midway in that contact he rapidly retreats and goes into the tent. And obviously there was a robbery call, the officers have no idea whats in that tent.
1239 The individual maybe arming himself and they opened the tent and that when the altercation ensues. You know they are in a very tough situation, they have a potential legal right and he flees from the detention. So they are legally authorized to continue that detention. Sohard to make those calls on partial info. The totality of the investigation. I will review the statements form the officers about what was in their mind about what they have heard from the victim and determine whether or not the actions they took were appropriate. I;m just giving you the general pieces.
Q:.... mental illness?
1328 YOu know we are not releasing the identity of the individual that was shot. So Im not going to release any details about him we are still making attempts to notify relatives until that occurs we will not be releasing any details.
Q: The media certainly would like to see the footage from the body cameras, but I would argue that the public would also like to see it as well. You have a case where a civilian video has gone viral of this incident, it seems like it might serve the department's interests to put that video out there to show or explain the officer's actions. WOuld you consider releasing this footage at some point or have you completely ruled it out?
1406 Well there are, you know, there are a number of factors, it's not only the media's desire to know, uh, and the public certainly has an expectation that there is a complete and thorough investigation that reviews all evidence. Now whether or not that evidence should all be released, you know, that's another matter. I will tell you this, that at the end of the investigation of this officer involved shooting, unlike the vast majority of my peers in law enforcement, we will release the complete investigation through the Inspector General's office. If there is a criminal proceeding in this, or if there's a civil proceeding in this, we will make all evidence available for those proceedings.
Q: How much time elapsed in that incident, approximately?
1449 You know it was, I cannot, I cannot tell you the exact amount of time, it appears to me about three or four minutes, and that's from first contact uh with the victim to the to the lethal confrontation
Q: So did they ever employ any of this specialized training you've talked about and if so did it fail, did they, in other words what did they do that demonstrated this specialized mental health training that they received?
1515 You know the way that you the way that you have conversations, the way that you offer options, the way that uh you give, uh, some space, the body language that you portray, you know the way that you escalate, all of that's part of the training. You know I will make judgement upon that when I review the Totelli investigation, uh but on the face of it appears that they did try all of that or most of that.
Q: Can you tell us, you're not releasing the name of the man who was killed, but is this someone who officers were familiar with?
1548 You know I don't know that because I have not reviewed the officers' entirety of their statements, um, I will say, you know, I have not seen their statements so I cannot speculate on that. You know the skid row population is very transient, obviously, and this individual by most reports had only been there for a short amount of time, or a relatively short amount of time compared to some people who spend years and years there, so I don't know his familiarity to the officers.
Q: Can you just explain that picture a little better, that second picture, cause it kind of looks like the hand is at knee level, so maybe you could walk us through that section?
1631 Well there's a, the young african american officer that was, that, whose pistol was attacked, is on the other side of the individual who you can see knees, there's an officer that is straddling the individual whose hand is up.
Q: If you had been at this location, what would you have done differently?
1656 [laughs] Well you know, I'm a 40 year police officer, um, you know, I don't know that I could have done anything differently. You know, I think that this is an awful tragedy, but the officers, um, took, on the face of it, reasonable steps to avoid it. Had the individual not grabbed the officer's pistol, certainly we would not be having this discussion.
[1727 Chief leaves, other officer remains and answers questions individually w/ reporters]
LAPD Chief: Man "Forcibly Grabbed" for Officer's Weapon
Several bystanders' videos show the midday shooting that occurred after a 911 call robbery report
A man involved in a struggle with Los Angeles police reached for an officer's holstered weapon during a fatal Skid Row confrontation that was captured on video Sunday, Los Angeles' police chief said Monday.
Two Los Angeles Police Department officer at Sunday's altercation that led to the fatal shooting were wearing a body cameras, providing police with another video for review in the department investigation, Chief Charlie Beck said at a Monday news conference. Video from the camera was being obtained Sunday night by the LAPD's special Force Investigative Division, LAPD Commander Andrew Smith said Monday morning.
"He forcibly grabbed one of the officers' holstered pistols," Beck said.
Mayor Eric Garcetti plans to discuss the case at a 1 p.m. meeting with staff members.
Video captures the moment Los Angeles police officers confront a man on Sunday on the street in the Skid Row neighborhood and eventually shoot and kill him. On video, you can hear the officer try to taser the man, identified only the name "Africa", followed by five rounds of gunfire. Police said the victim struggled with one of the officer's guns, and that no other guns were found at the scene. Police also say that at least one of the officers was wearing a body cam. Not long after the shooting, the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable president and other civil right leaders call the LA Police Commission to hold a special hearing on the use of officers.