A Black man who deputies said was stopped for riding his bicycle in violation of vehicle codes was fatally shot when he dropped a bundle of items that included a gun, authorities said, setting off a protest march to a nearby sheriff’s station in south Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department fielded a question from CBS News Tuesday about which codes the man allegedly violated, but could not immediately provide more information.
Sheriff’s Lt. Brandon Dean said investigators had not yet interviewed the two deputies, but he gave this account: When deputies tried to stop the man Monday, he dropped his bike and ran. When they caught up to him he punched one of them in the face and dropped a bundle of clothes he was carrying. The deputies spotted a handgun in the bundle and opened fire.
“He was in possession of a firearm and did assault a deputy,” Dean said.
Family members at the scene identified the dead man as Dijon Kizzee, 29, CBS Los Angeles reported, but the sheriff’s department said it could not immediately confirm his identity. Cell phone video obtained by the station captured the man running from deputies holding clothing moments before he was fatally shot.
Police say the handgun was recovered and no deputies were injured. TV news helicopters showed a gun near the body.
Protesters gathered and more than 100 people marched to a sheriff’s station, where they demonstrated throughout the night, reports CBS Los Angeles.
“The police kill another Black man, another Black person, we’re tired of the injustice, we’re tired of the police brutality, we’re tired of being looked upon as fourth-class citizens, we’re tired of just not being treated equally,” protester Raheem Taylor told the station.
Neighborhood resident Arlander Givens, 68, questioned why deputies fired at a man who, according to the sheriff’s official, wasn’t holding a weapon.
“If he reached down to grab it, that’s different,” Givens told the Los Angeles Times. “But if it’s on the ground, why shoot? That means he was unarmed.”
Dean said investigators had not yet interviewed witnesses or reviewed any surveillance or cellphone video.
“Give us time to conduct our investigation,” he said. “We will get all of the facts of this case and eventually present them.”
The Sheriff’s Department said multiple independent investigations began at the scene.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is set to vote Tuesday to fund a body-worn camera program for the sheriff’s department. Sheriff Alex Villanueva has feuded with the supervisors in recent months and repeatedly called on them to approve the money for the body cameras.
