Keenan Anderson, a 31-year-old father and English teacher, died of cardiac arrest last week after he was shot repeatedly by police, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
(LAPD)
(CNN) --
Keenan Anderson, a 31-year-old father and English teacher, died of cardiac arrest last week after he was shot repeatedly by police, according to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). ).
It is the third death so far this year in which a police officer has been involved.
Police met Anderson, a cousin of Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors, on Jan. 3 of this year at the scene of a traffic accident in the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles, police said in a statement. last week.
As police struggled to arrest Anderson, he was repeatedly electrocuted, edited body cam footage released by police shows shows.
After being arrested, Anderson was taken to a local hospital, where he went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead, according to police.
Cullors said in an Instagram tribute post that his cousin was "killed by LAPD."
"Keenan deserves to be alive right now, his son deserves to be raised by his father," Cullors wrote in the post.
“Keenan, we will fight for you and all of our loved ones affected by state violence.
Love you".
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Anderson taught 10th grade English at the Digital Pioneers Academy in Washington, according to a statement from the school's founder, Mashea Ashton.
Anderson was visiting her family in Los Angeles over winter break, Ashton said.
"The details of his death are as disturbing as they are tragic," Ashton said in the statement, adding: "Keenan was a deeply committed educator and the father of a six-year-old boy... He was loved by everyone."
“Our community is grieving.
But we are also angry.
Angry that once again a known, loved and respected member of our community is no longer with us.
Angry that another beautiful and talented black soul has left too soon," Ashton said.
Detectives with the Police Department's Force Investigation Division responded to the scene where Anderson was taken into custody and are investigating the use of force, police said, explaining in the video that department policy defines any death of a person under their custody as a “categorical” use of force.
So far this year, the Los Angeles Police Department has also investigated the police shooting deaths of Takar Smith, 45, and Oscar Sánchez, 35, and has released footage of those incidents.
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What the video shows
Police said they responded to a traffic crash on the afternoon of January 3 and saw Anderson "running in the middle of the street and exhibiting erratic behavior."
On an officer's body cam, released and edited by police, a woman at the scene of a traffic collision tells police: "I think that guy over there needs help because he's trying to get away."
Body camera video shows Anderson initially stopped and spoke to an officer before the video cuts to a text screen saying Anderson "tried to flee."
As the video resumes, Anderson is seen jogging in the street as the officer chases him and pulls him over at a busy intersection, ordering Anderson to lie on his stomach.
Anderson doesn't seem to comply right away, and two other officers arrive and move him to lie face down on the street, telling Anderson to "relax."
As the agents fight over him, Anderson can be heard yelling, "Help, they're trying to kill me" and "Please don't do this."
In footage from another officer who responded to the situation, a police officer can be heard repeatedly warning Anderson to stop resisting and turn around, threatening to electrocute him multiple times.
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"They're trying to do (the same thing) to me as George Floyd," Anderson says, as officers try to turn him face down.
An officer then deploys a taser multiple times on Anderson, who says, "I'm not resisting."
The officers eventually handcuffed and placed restraints on Anderson's ankles, the video shows.
Later in the video, the Los Angeles Fire Department places Anderson, who appears conscious, on a gurney near an ambulance.
Police say in the statement that Anderson received on-scene medical attention from fire department personnel before being transported to a local hospital.
"While in the hospital, Anderson went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead," the statement said.
Los Angeles Police Captain Kelly Muniz said in the video that Anderson died approximately four and a half hours after the use of force.
A preliminary blood toxicology screen of Anderson's blood samples came back positive for cocaine and marijuana, police said, adding that the Los Angeles County coroner's office is expected to conduct its own independent toxicology tests.
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said the videos were released in response to requests from families for them to be released.
"This is, again, doing nothing but demonstrating our commitment to full transparency and judging this on the merits of what the research shows us and asking for the public's patience as we move forward on this commitment," Moore said in a statement. press conference on Wednesday.
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