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Friday 4 September 2020

Doorbell Camera Footage Appears to Show LA Sheriff's Deputies Firing at Least 15 Shots at Black Man After He Dropped His Gun

On Monday, 29-year-old Dijon Kizzee was fatally shot by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies. Officers claim that Kizzee punched a deputy in the face and was in possession of a gun at the time of the shooting, but activists and witnesses remain unconvinced that the shooting was necessary, which is why the incident inspired protests on Monday and Tuesday. Now, video captured by a resident’s doorbell camera appears to show that officers shot at Kizzee at least 15 times after he dropped his weapon.
The RING video, which was obtained by ABC 7 Eyewitness News, is only about 10 seconds long and shows two people observing the altercation outside the home before running inside after the shots were fired. ABC 7 noted that the video “includes the sound of at least those shots, it is not clear if additional shots were fired immediately before or after the video.”
Here’s what happened Monday as reported by ABC 7:
Monday evening, Sheriff’s Department Lt. Brandon Dean offered a summary of what investigators had learned so far about the incident:
It began when deputies who were driving in the area saw a man riding a bicycle and decided to pull him over for a vehicle code violation in the area of 110th and Budlong. The department has not specified what type of vehicle code violation the deputies suspected.
The man - later identified as Kizzee - dropped the bike and ran off. Deputies caught up to him on 109th. At that point, they say, Kizzee fought with the deputies and punched one of them in the face.
He had been carrying some clothing in his hands, which he dropped it to the ground. The two deputies spotted a handgun among the items of clothing he had dropped. At that point was when the shooting occurred.
Investigators believe Kizzee was reaching for the gun on the ground.
“The suspect made a motion toward the firearm, it was at that time a deputy involved shooting occurred, the sheriff’s department said in a statement Tuesday.
Kizzee was struck more than once by the gunfire. He died at the scene.
A semiautomatic handgun was recovered at the scene.
Following the shooting, there was a dispute between witnesses and the deputies involved as to how many shots were fired. Witnesses said they heard as many as 20 gunshots. The deputies haven’t provided their own number, but they deny that many shots were fired. Unfortunately, deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department don’t wear body cameras, so the doorbell camera footage—along with “what appears to be a security camera” that captured the incident from another angle, according to ABC—is what we have to go on.
It’s unclear whether the shooting is still being investigated, but no charges or disciplinary action for the involved deputies have been reported.
According to CBS Los Angeles, hundreds of Black Lives Matter protesters, including Kizzee’s family members, marched from the scene of the shooting to the nearby sheriff’s station to demand justice. Demonstrators remained at the station until early Tuesday morning before dispersing.


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