A black man was shot and killed by sheriff’s deputies in South Los Angeles on Monday afternoon when he dropped a handgun shortly after pun...
A black man was shot and killed by sheriff’s deputies in South Los Angeles on Monday afternoon when he dropped a handgun shortly after punching an officer in the face, police said.
A crowd of around 100 protesters have since gathered at the scene of the fatal shooting in Westmont this evening to demonstrate against the LASD's lethal use of force.
The man, identified by family members online as Dijon Kizzee, was observed by deputies riding a bike down along 110th Street and Budlong Avenue, when they made a U-turn in their vehicle to approach him for apparently violating an unspecified vehicle code.
Lt. Brandon Dean said it was at this time that Kizzee jumped off of his bike and began running northbound toward 109th Place, when deputies briefly lost sight of him.
Kizzee, who is in his 30s, was found shortly afterwards a few blocks away, where Dean says the officers attempted to make contact with him once again.
As they approached, Dean said the man, who was clutching items of clothing in his hands, punched one of the officers in the face and then dropped the items he was carrying.
‘The deputies noticed that inside the clothing items that he dropped was a black semi-automatic handgun,’ Dean said during a Monday conference.
The two officers then both opened fire on the man, striking him several times and rendering him motionless in the street.
The man jumped off of his bike and began running northbound toward 109th Place, when deputies briefly lost sight of him
The video then cuts to both of the officers aiming their firearms at the downed suspect having seemingly just shot him
The man, dressed in a white tank-top and pants, is seen lying face down in the road by the right-rear tire of a silver pick-up truck
A crowd of between 70 to 100 protesters have since gathered on the scene of the fatal shooting in Westmont to demonstrate against the lethal use of force
The LA County Sheriff’s Office say they are concerned about crowd control overnight as they hope to avoid the violent protests spurred in a number of states across the country following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha last weekend
Dean was unable to confirm how many times the man was hit and where, as ‘we have not been able to move the body yet as we were waiting for the coroner’s office,' he said early Monday evening.
Kizzee was pronounced dead at the scene. No deputies were injured during the incident.
‘We still have to conduct our interviews of the investigating officers to see exactly what happened and transpired during the deputy-involved-shooting,’ Dean told reporters when pressed about what prompted the deadly use of force.
‘But if this individual was reaching for a semi-automatic handgun, I would suggest that, you know, that’s probably why deadly force was important,’ he continued.
A black semi-automatic handgun said to have been in the possession of Kizzee was recovered at the scene, officials said.
Investigators remain at the area investigating the scene of the shooting along the 200 block of West 109th Place, speaking with witnesses and canvassing the area for any surveillance cameras that may have recorded the incident.
Dean was unable to specify what vehicle code officers believed the man had violated when riding his bike, citing the ongoing investigation.
‘Give us time to conduct our investigation,’ Dean said. ‘We will get all the facts of the case out and eventually present them.’
A black semi-automatic handgun said to have been in the possession of Kizzee was recovered at the scene, officials said. Friends and family paid tribute to him online in the hours after
A large group of demonstrators have since gathered at the scene of the shooting at the behest of Black Lives Matter LA, who tentatively identified the victim as Dijon Kizzee
A group of between 70 to 100 protesters wielding signs and chanted 'Black Lives Matter' late Monday
A woman films with her phone as sheriff deputies stand next to the crime scene where a black man, identified by Black Lives Matter Los Angeles as Dijon Kizzee, was shot by two sheriff deputies
A large group of demonstrators have since gathered at the scene of the shooting at the behest of Black Lives Matter LA
Officers in riot gear were also pictured at the scene of the demonstration. No incidents have so far been reported
Investigators remain at the area investigating the scene of the shooting along the 200 block of West 109th Place, speaking with witnesses and canvassing the area for any surveillance cameras that may have caught the incident on camera
A large group of demonstrators have since gathered at the scene of the shooting at the behest of Black Lives Matter LA, who also identified the victim as Dijon Kizzee.
‘Los Angeles County Sheriffs killed a Black man...Dijon...on 109th and Budlong and left his body facedown in the dirt. We need all hands on deck. Please get here ASAP!’ the group tweeted just after 6pm local time.
The LA County Sheriff’s Office say they are concerned about crowd control overnight as they hope to avoid the violent protests seen in a number of states across the country over the last eight days, spurred by the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha last weekend.
The sheriff’s department station had set up a perimeter of tape around its South LA headquarters as of Monday evening as a precaution.
Officers in riot gear were also pictured at the scene of the demonstration.
Video from the protest showed a man addressing the crowd through a megaphone, urging them to 'Say his name', to which the crowd responded in chorus, 'Dijon Kizzee.'
No incidents have so far been reported. However, a video posted just after 11pm showed officers pushing members of the crowd back, with activists claiming officers were 'escalating' the situation.
Unlike the LAPD, Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies are not equipped with body cameras.
However, in footage of the incident posted to social media, Kizzee is seen running away from two officers.
The video then cuts to both of the officers aiming their firearms at the downed suspect having seemingly just shot him.
Cries of bystanders heard in the background of the clip, with one woman heard screaming ‘why would you do that?’ and ‘Black Lives Matter.’
Kizzee, dressed in a white tank-top and pants, is seen lying face down in the road by the right-rear tire of a silver pick-up truck. The officers are stood more than 12 feet away from his body, still aiming their weapons.
The man recording the footage claims the officer shot the man ‘like twenty times’.
Dean was unable to specify what vehicle code officers believed the man had violated when riding his bike, citing the ongoing investigation
The man was pronounced dead at the scene shortly afterwards
9 Sheriff deputies push protesters and inhabitants away from the crime scene, using police tape to establish a perimeter
No incidents have so far been reported. However, a video posted just after 11pm showed officers pushing members of the crowd back, with activist claiming officers were 'escalating' the situation
A man shouts at the sheriff deputies standing next to the crime scene on Monday evening
Investigators remain at the area investigating the scene of the shooting along the 200 block of West 109th Place, speaking with witnesses and canvassing the area for any surveillance cameras that may have caught the incident on camera
Bystanders continue to heckle the two officers. The man filming the video calls out asking why the officers who shot the man were still aiming their guns, insisting ‘he’s dead already’.
The two officers make no attempt to approach the man to administer CPR until back-up arrives.
A group of four officers then move towards the man, with their weapons drawn, before handcuffing him and administering first aid.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene shortly afterwards. His body remained in the street for several hours as an investigation was carried out.
Footage from above captured by KTLA5 showed a pink tarp had been used to partially shield the man's body from public views.
In addition to activists taking to the streets in anger over the shooting, thousands are making their voices heard online too, denouncing the LASD for shooting the man dead.
'So they are admitting that he dropped the weapon therefore he was no longer a threat and didn’t need to be shot ... Pulled over for a vehicle code violation ON A F***ING BICYCLE,' one woman tweeted.
'So yet again another unarmed black man was murdered by cops in the great ole U.S. of A,' wrote El Williams. 'They’ll tell you he “had a gun” but #lapd has already admitted that it was on the ground BEFORE they shot him. #SayHisName'
No further information is currently available on the incident.
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