Cops Kill People: LAPD Chief Speaks Out Against Cop Killing Of Unarmed Homeless Man

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L.A. Police Chief Criticizes Officers For Shooting Of Homeless Man

The “Squeeze first, ask questions last” mantra of police has GOT to stop!

Via ABCNews

Less than a day after a Los Angeles police officer shot and killed a homeless man in a struggle near the beach, Chief Charlie Beck was questioning the need to use deadly force in the confrontation.

Amid tensions nationwide over police killings of unarmed black men, Beck said he was “very concerned” by the shooting and planned a community meeting Thursday night.

In this case, both the officer and the man he shot Tuesday night were black, a point Beck made to reporters.

At that same news conference Wednesday, Beck also said he has yet to see evidence that would justify the fatal shooting near Venice Beach.

“Any time an unarmed person is shot by a Los Angeles police officer, it takes extraordinary circumstances to justify that, and I have not seen those extraordinary circumstances at this point,” Beck said, though he also cautioned that his department’s investigation was just underway.

Department investigators have not interviewed the officer because he is on medication to treat a knee he hurt during the struggle, Beck said.

Per usual, the union brass vouches for the cops.

The union representing officers quickly criticized the chief’s remarks as premature and prejudicial.

In a written statement, the president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League called Beck “completely irresponsible” to publicly opine “without having all of the facts.” President Craig Lally said that by speaking out, Beck “essentially renders the investigation process void.”

Here’s how it all went down…

Tuesday’s confrontation began late at night on a block lined with bars and restaurants when two officers responded to a 911 call saying the man, believed to be in his 20s, had been arguing with a bouncer who would not let him into a bar and was hassling passersby, police said.

The officers spoke to the man, who began walking away but then came back and began struggling with someone on the sidewalk, according to a police news release.

The officers tried to detain the man, who was shot during the struggle, police said.

The man died at a hospital. No weapon was recovered at the scene, police spokeswoman Liliana Preciado said.

It’s nice to see someone INSIDE the police department FINALLY acknowledge that these shootings are comepletey unnecessary and hardly justifiable.

Image via Shutterstock

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