The images made public, taken from a video surveillance camera and pedestrian cameras worn by the police, show the suspect cornered by seven officers in a building in the city center.
He first raises his hands in the air, before suddenly walking towards them to confront them.
He then held “a white object protruding from the bottom of his right hand”, according to a police press release, when the events occurred on February 3.
Police in Los Angeles have released body-cam footage of an incident in which officers shot and killed a man holding a plastic fork.https://t.co/N5KtUc76XI
— Eagle News (@EagleNews) February 22, 2024
The video (which we have chosen not to broadcast) shows a melee between the police and a man, aged 36, in a narrow corridor.
The suspect tries to grab a hunting rifle held by a policewoman.
One of his colleagues shoots after other agents use non-lethal weapons.
Taken to hospital, Jason Maccani died of his injuries.
Video of when a 36-year-old man was shot after charging at group of Los Angeles police officers was released.
WARNING: Footage in this story is considered graphichttps://t.co/tB1ZJuph2S
— KATU News (@KATUNews) February 22, 2024
The police were initially called by a person who reported a suspicious man, “armed with a stick” and “threatening employees” of the building.
An exaggerated description, according to the first elements of the investigation.
“It appears at this stage that the person who called us deliberately misrepresented the information in order to encourage the department to respond more quickly,” explained Michael Moore, the police chief.
Because in reality, “even if the police upon their arrival mistook this white object for a knife”, it later turned out to be only a plastic fork.
An investigation was opened to determine whether the use of force was appropriate.
“I remain concerned by the officer's decision to use deadly force,” Police Chief Michel Moore acknowledged last week.