Deadly LAPD shooting of homeless man is caught on video (Graphic)

[Garion_55]

Source: http://www.latimes.com

In a dramatic confrontation caught on video, Los Angeles police shot and killed a homeless man in the heart of downtown's bustling skid row Sunday.

A video of the incident posted on Facebook (contains foul language) shows a group of officers getting into a scuffle with a man standing on a sidewalk littered with tents and other debris.

During the struggle, one officer drops his nightstick, which is picked up by a woman on the street. Two officers handcuff the woman. The man continues to scuffle with four of the officers, even after he's wrestled to the ground. What appears to be one of the officers is heard saying "Drop the gun. Drop the gun."

Then, at least one of the officers opens fire on the man, who remained on the ground with at least two officers near him.

Five gunshots are heard on the recording.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-police-fatally-shoot-homeless-man-20150301-story.html

[FreakinDJ]

1. When are these Executions going to end

[warrant46]

29. When we start to treat the homeless with dignity

This guy had a tent on the sidewalk. That is what started the problem. Camping on a public sidewalk

[Renew Deal]

2. The way it looks to me...

The second cop from the left that is on the man pulls out his gun and shoots him. But this is a very violent confrontation from the beginning. One of the cops drops his nightstick and the woman that picks it up looks like she wants to use it.

I can't tell if the homeless guy tried to grab one of their guns but it looks like he was pulling on the gun on the cop that is 1st from the left. At some point it sounds like someone is saying "he's got my gun."

The 1st cop from the left looks very nervous throughout the incident. He's the guy that dropped his nightstick. He looks like he's trying to pull his own gun out at the beginning and can't get it out. He's then the guy that has his gun grabbed by the homeless guy. Then you see him at the end I think his head is elsewhere.

[Corey_Baker08]

21. I Agree With Your Assessment...

A tragic situation no doubt & CSI should be able to determine if that mans fingerprints are on the officer's gun...

[greyl]

3. A cop being heard saying "Drop the gun Drop the gun",

does not mean the victim actually had a gun. First sentence at the LA Times is "A group of officers gets into a scuffle with the man. 'Drop the gun' is heard, then several gunshots."

When I first watched the video, I was thinking "drop the gun" was coming from a spectator talking to the cop who drew his gun, plainly visible.

[Buzz Clik]

5. Maybe. It's hard to tell. Even if we assume that it's a cop saying it...

... this incident was not worthy of lethal force until it was escalated by the police.

[greyl]

6. Totally agree, I didn't see a reason for a gun to be drawn at all. nt

[Renew Deal]

7. Take a look at the big cop that is first from the left.

Watch him from beginning to end. He seems very uncomfortable. The way the video is, his gun is on the left. Does it look like his gun is being pulled on?

[Buzz Clik]

12. I just can't tell. But, two guys hold him down, and one shoots him from inches away.

Damn. It was an execution.

[peace13]

17. Handcuffing a dead man...icing in the cake.

These guys are real tough.

[Buzz Clik]

4. Any investigation that follows will focus on the events during the seconds before shots are fired.

They will not examine at all the fact that this incident did not require six cops to control. Cops push too hard for total submission by suspects and, too often, escalate the problem to the point where they can justify killing someone who was a threat to no one before the cops arrived.

[Judi Lynn]

8. Hope many people will pay attention to this.It's so damned wrong.Bullies.Monsters."Protectors?" n/t

[geomon666]

9. It was murder

Victim was beaten, tased, and then shot.

[cloudythescribbler]

10. OVER 600 fatal shootings by police in LA County alone since 2000

http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-82949206/

[Brigid]

28. That's 43 a year!

[azurnoir]

11. To be honest IMO "drop the gun" is Copese for "we're being filmed"

[In_The_Wind]

13. Why couldn't the four well trained cops simply subdue one man without killing him.

[socialist_n_TN]

15. Because they didn't WANT to subdue him......

They wanted to kill him.

[In_The_Wind]

16. That seems to be the trend these days.

[alcibiades_mystery]

22. A man can kill you with a fingernail in under .002 seconds! So say the gun nut shitheads of America

Shoot everybody before they kill you with their fingernail!!!!!

Protect your precious family from all the people!!!

[socialist_n_TN]

14. This is burning up my news feed on FB........

I didn't see no muthafucking gun. The bastards execute another one for no reason. Or at least no "capital crime" reason.

And I agree with the poster above who said that "He's got a gun" is copese for "I'm going to shoot this motherfucker".

[nolabels]

20. Our police state at it's finest

My ex worked her way into these folks through a working for a county temp agency. Eventually she got on permanently and figured that I was just extra baggage because i could no longer think like her and moved out. The mentality is that is us against the world, and the 45 in the holster is just part of the makeup of who they become. Everyone to them is potential enemy, no matter who they are.

If you just understand they are thugs with guns mostly employed by the rich and well-to-do that are wishing to keep things how they are, then they won't seem ______________ (you fill in the word).

Anyway, its just how think, nothing really more to it.

[psychopomp]

18. Having BLED OUT, they pick up his limp arms to CUFF HIM

Bloodthirsty cops getting their murder on. Again. How long?

[blackspade]

19. The gang in blue is loathsome

Scumbags.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

23. I'm kinda surprised this hasn't blown up DU

when I watch it, it's like the shooting in Pasco Washington of a few weeks ago. Hard to not make a judgment the police over reacted and took a citizens' life unnecessarily...........

[countryjake]

24. K&R!

[azurnoir]

25. Video Removed From Facebook Showing LAPD Cops Killing Homeless Man

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/lapd-shooting-video-removed-facebook

but thankfully it's still on youtube

[Scootaloo]

26. If this guy had a gun, he wouldn't have been using windmill-style crazy-fu at the beginning

[Newest Reality]

27. Should we take this

as a clear and obvious message that anyone who interacts with the police may receive the death penalty? Or am I reading too much into it?

No judge, (other than the cop who fires) no jury, (well, maybe the assisting cops) and a very quick trial where you are determined to be a threat and the only means to diffuse that threat is enough lead in your body to kill you, not just disable you.

This kind of violent, seemingly knee-jerk behavior, is inserting itself, (due to the powerful emotional charge of watching a real execution) into our collective views and I think that affects everyone.

If our governments and police forces wanted better public relations, or to assure us that they are really about "serve and protect" there would be measures taken to prevent this thug-like, police state behavior. Instead it happens over and over.

And what I mean is, (though I don't see a gun in this video and doubt if there was one) even if he had a gun in his hand, you could should his hand, arm, etc. and quickly disable his ability to use the gun. From the position of the cops, I don't even see how he could aim or fire a gun.

Like they say, firemen will risk their lives to save people and those in the military will put themselves in harms way. Our police forces will put your life in danger to save themselves, first and foremost. That's NOT serving and protecting when it is so blatant like the scenes that have been recorded lately.