Los Angeles police have released video of an intervention that led to the death of a man holding a plastic fork, after a confrontation with several officers in a building in the city.
Jason Maccani, 36, was killed on February 3 by a police officer.
An investigation was opened to determine whether the use of force was appropriate and the police released images of the intervention to the public on Tuesday February 21.
“I remain concerned by the officer's decision to use lethal force
,” police chief Michel Moore admitted last week during a press conference.
The images, taken from a CCTV camera and pedestrian cameras worn by police officers, show the suspect cornered by seven officers in a city center building.
He first raises his hands in the air, before suddenly walking towards them to confront them.
“Taken for a knife”
He then held
“a white object protruding from the bottom of his right hand”
, according to a police press release.
Initially
“mistaken for a knife”
, the object
“later turned out to be a plastic fork”
.
The video shows the melee between the police and Jason Maccani, in a narrow corridor.
The suspect tries to grab a hunting rifle held by a policewoman.
One of his colleagues then fired live ammunition, according to the statement, after other officers used non-lethal weapons.
Taken to hospital, Jason Maccani died of his injuries.
The police were initially called by a person who reported a suspicious man,
“armed with a stick”
and
“threatening employees”
of the building, according to the press release.
An exaggerated description, according to the first elements of the investigation.
“It appears at this stage that the person who called us deliberately distorted the information in order to encourage the department to respond more quickly
,” Michael Moore, the police chief, explained last week.