Cyrus Langhorne
The Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies are getting the full spotlight placed on them. Officers have helped fuel the Black Lives Matter movement and continue the trend in police brutality after taking the life of Black man Dijon Kizzee following a bicycle stop in South Los Angeles.
LA Cops Kill Dijon Kizzee
According to reports, the latest incident of police aggression and brutality toward a Black person happened this past Monday afternoon. Kizzee had police approach him after they spotted him riding a bicycle and turned the situation into a life-ending altercation.
A Black man was shot and killed by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies after he was stopped for a traffic violation while riding a bike, then ran from police, punched one officer and then “made a motion” toward a gun on the ground, authorities said. The Monday afternoon shooting death of Dijon Kizzee in South Los Angeles prompted a peaceful protest hours later. Black Lives Matter marched Tuesday evening from the scene to a sheriff’s precinct station. (CBS 7)
High-Key Details
Deputy Brandon Dean of the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau has since addressed the killing and attempted to justify the cops’ actions.
“Our suspect was holding some items of clothing in his hands, punched one of the officers in the face,” Dean said. “Then, dropped the items in his hands. The deputies noticed inside the clothing items that he dropped was a black semi-automatic handgun, at which time a deputy-involved shooting took place.” At least part of the confrontation was captured on video by witnesses. Video from NewsChopper4 showed what appeared to be a handgun on the ground near yellow police tape. (NBC Los Angeles)
Wait, There’s More
A nearby witness has since come forward to provide insight on what happened. According to the unnamed woman, Kizzee put his hands in the air as other people asked cops not to shoot.
“He dropped the towel, put his hands in the air,” the woman told NBCLA. “The people were saying, ‘Don’t shoot.’ He didn’t have no gun in his hands because when he dropped the towel he put his hands up.” (NBC Los Angeles)
Before You Go
The same deputy department is also under fire for a separate attack. An investigation is in place for the fatal shooting of a Black teenager at the hands of police just weeks prior to Dijon’s death.
Also Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to ask the coroner to conduct an inquest into the fatal deputy shooting of 18-year-old Andres Guardado on June 18. Guardado was shot five times in the back after deputies said they saw him with a gun and he ran. Guardado’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Monday against the county, the Sheriff’s Department and deputies involved in the shooting. (ABC News)
