In a chilling video which quickly went viral today, officers of the Los Angeles Police Department shot and killed a homeless black man nicknamed “Africa” today at Skid Row, Los Angeles. Skid Row is “home” to many of Los Angeles homeless people.
The video showing the shooting was uploaded on Facebook by a bystander whose voice is heard in the video saying the incident must be recorded.
The video shows three officers in pursuit of a man and a child. The child picked up one of the police batons and the police men raised alarms “drop the stick!” repeatedly.
The police men then wrestled the other man to the ground and in the struggle which ensued, three shots rang out. It is altogether clear from the video which of the police men fired the shots.
Reports says that the homeless man who was killed suffered mental problems, although he was not known to be violent.
The LAPD claims it was responding to a call of a possible robbery.
The three officers involved in the shooting have been placed on leave even as investigation into the shooting begins. This recent shooting would definitely leave a bad taste among black communities having spent a large part of last year protesting excessive use of force by policemen whenever black victims were involved.
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