Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
New Video Shows Fatal Police Shooting of Black Man in LA
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
September 3, 2020

Share

LOS ANGELES — A grainy video posted Wednesday shows the fatal shooting of a Black man by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies after he was stopped on a bicycle for a traffic violation, but the video does not confirm the police allegation that he “made a motion” for a gun.

Dijon Kizzee was shot and killed Monday afternoon in South Los Angeles. The video, obtained by the Los Angeles Times, shows the 29-year-old Kizzee scuffling with a deputy on a sidewalk. Kizzee broke free, stumbled and fell to the ground and two deputies opened fire.

Police have said a gun fell out when Kizzee dropped a jacket as he fell to the ground and he “made a motion” for the weapon — prompting deputies to open fire. But the video does not confirm whether that happened because a fence obstructs the view at that period in the sequence of events.

Kizzee’s death came after another police shooting victim, Jacob Blake, was hit in the back and paralyzed last month in his hometown of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Blake’s shooting prompted large and violent protests in Kenosha. There have been two much smaller, peaceful protests in Los Angeles for Kizzee.

The shootings of Kizzee and Blake show the need for a national standard on police use of force to prevent more killings of Black men and increase accountability and transparency, said Lynda Williams, president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.

“It just hurts to see this recurring over and over,” she said. “It’s just incredulous to think that a bicycle stop has led to deadly force.”

The Sheriff’s Department Provided No New Information About the Case

Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, the Blake family’s lawyer, announced Wednesday that he also is representing Kizzee’s relatives and denounced the fatal shooting.

“We stand with Dijon’s family in demanding justice and transparency into this despicable and tragic killing perpetrated by Los Angeles County officers,” Crump said in a statement. “When officers shoot first and ask questions later, precious lives are lost and police lose credibility and trust from those they are sworn to protect.”

There was no immediate response Wednesday evening to a request for comment about the video sent to an email address listed as Crump’s media contact.

The sheriff’s department provided no new information about the case on Wednesday but a department statement Tuesday said deputies tried to stop Kizzee for riding his bicycle in violation of vehicle codes, without specifying the alleged infraction.

Statistics nationwide show that “biking while Black” can result in disproportionate citations for people of color. A 2015 Tampa Bay Times investigation revealing that eight out of 10 bicyclists ticketed by Tampa police were Black prompted a federal probe.

Chicago Tribune review in 2017 found that more than twice as many citations were written in African-American communities than in white or Latino areas.

Photo of protests
Protesters clash with deputies of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department during protests following the death of Dijon Kizzee on Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, in Los Angeles, Calif. (AP Photo/Christian Monterrosa)

White Cyclists in Wealthy Neighborhoods Rarely Face the Same Treatment

The office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who represents the district where Kizzee was shot, has not received complaints alleging police harassment of Black bicyclists. But Ridley-Thomas said he heard similar accounts anecdotally following Kizzee’s death.

“It is not something with which those who are involved in criminal justice reform and representing clients are unfamiliar,” he said.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department did not provide statistics regarding bicycle stops and citations on Wednesday and the Los Angeles Police Department’s figures do not break down vehicle stops by category.

Donny Joubert, vice president of the Watts Gang Task Force group in Los Angeles that was created to reduce gang violence and improve community relations with police, said residents on bicycles in communities of color are regularly stopped for supposed vehicle violations.

But he said white cyclists in wealthy neighborhoods rarely face the same treatment.

“They’ll pull you over on a skateboard,” Joubert said. “It means our kids can’t even ride a bike in their community without being blamed for something or being accused of something.”

The sheriff’s department has said Kizzee got off his bike and ran and the deputies briefly lost sight of him. The video shows a police SUV stop in a street. A deputy gets out, runs around a parked car and appears to try to grab Kizzee as he walks down the sidewalk. They tussle, standing, and move down the street together for several seconds. Kissee appears to throw a punch. Police have said he hit the deputy in the face but that’s not clear from the video.

The video then shows Kissee breaking free, stumbling and falling to the ground. A second deputy arrives. Within about 2 seconds, they repeatedly open fire.

He Was an Energetic Man Who Loved Go-Karts, Cars and Music

Police have not said how many shots the deputies fired. The video obtained by the Times does not have audio, but another video from a front door camera that does not show the shooting captured the sound of about 15 rounds fired.

Kizzee’s relatives have described him as devoted to his late mother and 18-year-old brother. They said he was an energetic man who loved go-karts, cars and music and that he was working toward becoming a plumber.

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, the largest in the nation, does not have body cameras for deputies, though that soon will change. The county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved funding and the first group of deputies will be equipped with cameras next month.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva offered his condolences to Kizzee’s relatives on Tuesday, who he said includes a cousin who is a Sheriff’s Department member.

Villanueva did not offer any updates on the investigation during a live social media event on Wednesday.

He did not respond to repeated questions about the fatal shooting posted by The Associated Press during the event.

Eli Akira Kaufman, executive director of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, said his organization is trying to redefine street safety beyond the primary concern of many cyclists of good bicycle lanes for protection from cars.

“Bicycling, at the end of the day, is the freedom to move freely — without fear for your life,” he said.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Biden Backs House’s Aid Package for Ukraine, Israel While Speaker Johnson Battles to Retain Position

DON'T MISS

Hot Rod Willys: Driven to Bake the Perfect Chicago-Style Pizza

DON'T MISS

Local Leaders Must Put Their Shoulders Into Making Fresno ‘Education City USA’

DON'T MISS

EdSource Welcomes Fresno News Veteran Jim Boren to Its Board

DON'T MISS

Senate Dismissed Two Articles of Impeachment, Ending Trial on Mayorkas

DON'T MISS

Netanyahu Dismisses Calls for Restraint, Says Israel Will Decide Iran Attack Response

DON'T MISS

New Study Calculates Climate Change’s Economic Bite Will Hit About $38 Trillion a Year by 2049

DON'T MISS

Biden Pledges to Block Japanese Takeover of US Steel and Promises Tariffs on Chinese Steel

DON'T MISS

Don Arax Talks About His New Football Job at Visalia’s Central Valley Christian

DON'T MISS

Dem House Challengers Salas, Gray Flex Fundraising Muscle

UP NEXT

Myanmar’s Ousted Leader Suu Kyi Moved From Prison to House Arrest Due to Heat, Military Says

UP NEXT

NPR Editor Suspended Over Claims of Network’s ‘Progressive Worldview’

UP NEXT

Wall Street’s Mixed Trading Day

UP NEXT

New Recruiting Programs Put Army, Air Force on Track to Meet Enlistment Goals. Navy Will Fall Short

UP NEXT

Justice Thomas Misses Supreme Court Session Monday With No Explanation

UP NEXT

‘Civil War’ Declares Victory at the Box Office, Toppling ‘Godzilla X Kong’

UP NEXT

Scheffler Turns the Masters Into Another Sunday Yawner With a Dominating Win

UP NEXT

Vegas, US Tour and More Signings: Wrexham Has Plenty of Fun and Work Ahead After Latest Promotion

UP NEXT

NBA Play-in Game Preview: West Games on Tuesday, East Games on Wednesday, Eliminations on Friday

UP NEXT

Ship That Caused Bridge Collapse Had Apparent Electrical Issues While Still Docked, Source Says

EdSource Welcomes Fresno News Veteran Jim Boren to Its Board

11 hours ago

Senate Dismissed Two Articles of Impeachment, Ending Trial on Mayorkas

12 hours ago

Netanyahu Dismisses Calls for Restraint, Says Israel Will Decide Iran Attack Response

12 hours ago

New Study Calculates Climate Change’s Economic Bite Will Hit About $38 Trillion a Year by 2049

12 hours ago

Biden Pledges to Block Japanese Takeover of US Steel and Promises Tariffs on Chinese Steel

12 hours ago

Don Arax Talks About His New Football Job at Visalia’s Central Valley Christian

13 hours ago

Dem House Challengers Salas, Gray Flex Fundraising Muscle

15 hours ago

Career-High Strike Outs for Ryan Weathers as Marlins Best Giants 6-3

15 hours ago

LeBron’s Lakers Top Pelicans in Play-in, Set up Playoff Rematch With Nuggets

15 hours ago

Storm Dumps Record Rain and Floods Dubai’s Airport

15 hours ago

Biden Backs House’s Aid Package for Ukraine, Israel While Speaker Johnson Battles to Retain Position

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he strongly supports a proposal from House Speaker Mike Johnson to provide aid to Ukrai...

9 hours ago

9 hours ago

Biden Backs House’s Aid Package for Ukraine, Israel While Speaker Johnson Battles to Retain Position

10 hours ago

Hot Rod Willys: Driven to Bake the Perfect Chicago-Style Pizza

11 hours ago

Local Leaders Must Put Their Shoulders Into Making Fresno ‘Education City USA’

11 hours ago

EdSource Welcomes Fresno News Veteran Jim Boren to Its Board

12 hours ago

Senate Dismissed Two Articles of Impeachment, Ending Trial on Mayorkas

12 hours ago

Netanyahu Dismisses Calls for Restraint, Says Israel Will Decide Iran Attack Response

12 hours ago

New Study Calculates Climate Change’s Economic Bite Will Hit About $38 Trillion a Year by 2049

12 hours ago

Biden Pledges to Block Japanese Takeover of US Steel and Promises Tariffs on Chinese Steel

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend