Advertisement

Los Angeles police shoot, kill man during Skid Row altercation

Cellphone video, which was posted to Facebook, purportedly shows Los Angeles police shooting a man in Los Angeles' Skid Row neighborhood.

By Kate Stanton

LOS ANGELES, March 2 (UPI) -- A homeless man was shot and killed Sunday by Los Angeles police responding to an altercation in the city's Skid Row neighborhood.

Sgt. Barry Montgomery, of the Los Angeles Police Department, told reporters that officers were sent to the 500 block of South San Pedro Street regarding reports of a robbery. When they approached, they saw two men having an altercation.

Advertisement

The ensuing confrontation was captured on cellphone video and posted to Facebook, where it has garnered more than 3 million views. It purportedly shows several police officers wrestling with a male suspect in an attempt to arrest him.

The video also shows officers handcuffing a female bystander after she picks up one of their dropped nightsticks.

According to the Los Angeles Times, one of the officers can be heard shouting, "Drop the gun. Drop the gun," before five shots ring out.

Montgomery confirmed eyewitness reports that officers also used a Taser on the man, who was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

"It's going to be a long investigation and we will, you know, get to the bottom of it," Montgomery said.

Advertisement

In the video, bystanders can be heard shouting and swearing at the police officers, asking him why they shot the man.

While officials have yet to identify the suspect, witnesses referred to him as "Africa."

Nearby resident Ina Murphy told The Times that Africa had recently been released from a mental facility.

Latest Headlines