A new case of police brutality in the United States raises the tension after the murder of Tire Nichols

Two police officers in front of Anthony Lowe Jr., standing by his wheelchair, on Slauson Avenue, California, on January 26.RR SS

Tension rises in California after a new case of police excesses.

The family of Anthony Lowe, a 36-year-old black man, has raised their voices this week.

They demand that the Huntington Park police make public the images of the cameras of the agents who responded to an emergency call that culminated in the death of Lowe, who had both legs amputated and moved in a wheelchair.

The authorities affirm that the subject was brandishing a knife, but the relatives do not give in and describe the episode as a homicide that feeds the epidemic of police brutality that the United States is experiencing.

The incident happened last Thursday.

At first it went almost unnoticed.

Media attention was then focused on the death of another African-American man, Tire Nichols, at the hands of uniformed members of the Memphis police force.

The videos of this episode have revived a debate in the country about police abuse.

For this reason, Lowe's family asks the Huntington Park Police Department to reveal the videos to clarify the facts.

The police affirm that last Thursday, around 3:30 p.m., they responded to an emergency call for a stabbing on Slauson Avenue, in Huntington Park (a county city located 10 kilometers southeast of downtown Los Angeles).

When officers arrived, they questioned a witness, who stated that the suspect was "a black adult in a wheelchair."

Lowe was located by the police a little further on, on the same avenue.

"When officers attempted to detain the suspect, the subject pulled out a 12-inch meat cleaver and threatened to throw it where the officers were," said an official communication from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office, which has cooperated with law enforcement. research.

Lowe, who refused to arrest, received a pair of electric shocks from a taser.

But this was not effective.

"The subject tried to throw the knife at the officers again, but at that moment one of the officers fired," the authorities continued.

The bullet struck Lowe in the upper torso.

The butcher knife was recovered at the scene.

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Los Angeles police kill man in wheelchair

Police officers point their firearms at Anthony Lowe Jr. on January 26. Video: RR SS

Video taken by a man passing through the area shows Lowe running on the stumps, getting away from a pair of police officers who point a gun at him.

The suspect runs with something shiny in his left hand.

The 23-second fragment, which was uploaded to Twitter on Saturday, January 28, is cut short and fails to capture the shots from police weapons.

"He's down in his wheelchair, both legs are amputated up to the knee, and he's running from officers," activist Cliff Smith, an activist who is part of a coalition demanding increased regulation of police, said Monday.

Smith joined Lowe's family at a press conference outside the Huntington Park Police Department to demand justice and say they were facing yet another example of police brutality.

In California, a member of a police force can only use his firearm when it is necessary to defend human life.

“You knew that his life was not in danger.

He is running on his limbs.

How cold-blooded can you be?" one of her cousins ​​asked the police.

Another family member claimed: “If you are here to protect and serve, do that, protect us.

Don't kill us."

Lowe's mother, Dorothy, announced to the media that she just wants to know the truth.

“Nothing but truth and justice.

My son has been murdered," the woman lamented.

Both the family and activists in favor of police regulation have called for the police officers involved to be criminally prosecuted.

The authorities have remained silent about this claim, but a spokesman for the department assured that the agents are out of service for a few days and will undergo psychological examinations.

When they return to work, at least for a while, they will avoid the street and dedicate themselves mainly to administrative tasks.

Thursday's was not the first time Anthony Lowe had a violent encounter with police.

His older sister explained to the media on Monday that this was the reason the man lost both limbs.

These were cut after an incident with a Texas State Police force.

The family also has some doubts about that episode, but did not delve into more details about that event that occurred last year.

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