L.A. Man Was 'Lying Down' When Cops 'Shot Him In The Back'
The family of a 25-year-old man claims their loved one was lying down and compying with police orders when he was shot repeatedly in the back Monday evening, KTLA 5 reports.
The deadly encounter took place after officers responded to an officer-related shooting in the same area of the city Ezell Ford was in. Officers tried to stop Ford for an "investigative stop" when a "struggle ensued" that led to police opening fire. Ford was rushed to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries.
A man claiming to be Ford's cousin said there was no reason for deadly force to be used.
“They laid him out and for whatever reason, they shot him in the back, knowing mentally, he has complications," the man said. "Every officer in this area, from the Newton Division, knows that — that this child has mental problems."
“My heart is so heavy,” Tritobia Ford, the man's mother, told KTLA 5. “My son was a good kid. He didn’t deserve to die the way he did.” The mother claims her son was shot three times and that the LAPD refused to tell her where her son was hospitalized. An LAPD spokesperson says the department was unaware of anyone being denied information.
The officer who shot Ford has been put on administrative leave.
The LAPD have been quiet about details related to the shooting, according to KTLA 5. But in a press release, the department stated that it's not known "if the suspect has any gang affiliations." It is not clear exactly why Ezell Ford was stopped. The LAPD's Force Investigation Division will conduct an investigation into the shooting to determine if departmental guidelines were followed.
A protest over Ford's shooting is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at 3pm in front of LAPD headquarters, according to a Facebook invitation.
The Times Homicide Report database reports that 303 people have been killed in officer-involved shootings since 2007.
Ford's shooting comes just two days after Mike Brown was killed by police in Ferguson, Mo., Saturday afternoon. He was unarmed and witnesses say he had his hands up when officers shot him repeatedly.
