LAPD cops shot 21 bystanders in 10 years. How does it keep happening?
LA TimesIsrael Hernandez was shot in 2017 when a bullet fired by an LAPD officer pierced the wall of his Wilmington apartment and sliced through his leg. LAPD spokesperson Jennifer Forkish responded to a detailed list of questions from The Times with a statement that said no “officer goes to work intending to use force — much less deadly force — but they are often forced to act swiftly to protect themselves and the public from imminent threats.” The department offers “extensive training,” the statement said, including “virtual reality simulations that reinforce accuracy, situational awareness, and de-escalation tactics.” “The presence of bystanders does not prevent an officer from defending themself or others in the face of an immediate threat of serious bodily harm or death,” the statement said. “In these critical moments, the priority is always the preservation of life — both the officer’s and the public’s.” ‘The round doesn’t care who it kills’ The families of those shot by police, civil rights lawyers and other police reform advocates argue many police shootings are preventable, the product of aggressive street-level tactics. “A lot of that training goes out of the window when they’re involved in a high-adrenaline situation.” Doves are released at the funeral of Valentina Orellana-Peralta, a 14-year-old girl shot by a stray bullet fired by a Los Angeles police officer on Dec. 23, 2021. The footage showed officers rush to apply a tourniquet to Jones’ mother’s arm, as she yelled that the cuffs were “too tight.” A month later, on Dec. 28, officers accidentally shot two men who had tried to detain a man wielding an AK-style rifle outside a church in Watts who they said had tried to rob them.
History of this topic
When bystanders are harmed, it’s easy to point the finger at LAPD, but conditions are also to blame
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Police bodycam video shows New Orleans attacker firing at officers
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L.A. police shoot armed Maserati driver following wild pursuit
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Two dead after shots fired between LAPD officers and a gunman in North Hollywood
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An undercover LAPD cop shot an unarmed teen through his car window. His family plans to sue
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‘Bringing a gun to a knife fight’: LAPD continues to shoot people holding ‘edged weapon’ during mental crisis, analysis shows
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Off-duty LAPD officer shoots, kills unarmed man after altercation
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Two shootings by LAPD officers are under investigation
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LAPD’s ‘less-lethal’ projectile launchers are leading to deadly encounters, report finds
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No charges for LAPD officers who fatally shot man in Pico-Union in 2021
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Bystander fatally shot during street takeover in South Los Angeles
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Man armed with a machete is shot by cops in Calabasas hotspot where stars like Kim Kardashian and Will Smith hang out
Daily Mail
Man shot by LAPD officers who mistook cellphone for gun wins $2.35 million at trial
LA Times
LAPD officer faulted in 2022 shooting of unarmed man in Leimert Park
LA Times
L.A. D.A. Gascón declines to prosecute deputies in high-profile shootings of teens
LA Times
LAPD officers shot fewer people in 2022, but the percentage that turned deadly increased
LA Times
Report: Los Angeles police killed 14 people in 2022
The Independent
LAPD officer found liable for protester’s injury in $375,000 verdict
LA Times
California Mass Shooting: Man Who Killed 10 Shot Himself As Officers Closed In, Say Reports
ABP News
AG won’t seek charges in LAPD shooting of man with fake gun
Associated Press
AG won't seek charges in LAPD shooting of man with fake gun
The Independent
State clears LAPD officers in the fatal shooting of man on Hollywood Boulevard
LA Times
L.A. Police Commission clears officers in two shootings of people in mental crisis
LA Times
They were unarmed when police shot at them. Then LAPD pushed for weapons charges
LA Times
LAPD killed a man it says aimed gun at officer. Body camera video tells different story
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Few details in three recent fatal LAPD shootings
LA Times
Police shoot, kill person armed with knife in Sawtelle, LAPD says
LA Times
Panel rules LAPD officers justified in fatal shooting of man on busy Hollywood Boulevard
LA Times
Man fatally shot by officers after downtown standoff, LAPD says
LA Times
LAPD officers are firing bullets and ‘less lethal’ rounds at same time, with deadly results
LA Times
Help or handcuff? LAPD officers often delay providing medical aid after shooting people
LA Times
4 killed, 1 wounded in 'targeted ambush' shooting at house party near LA
India Today
After 2021 spike in shootings by officers, LAPD will audit its training on use of deadly force
LA Times
Decades before LAPD killed girl, a wild shootout blocks away helped militarize police
LA Times
LA police video shows officer shooting that killed bystander
Associated Press
LAPD tactics under scrutiny after officer fatally shoots girl in Burlington dressing room
LA Times
Shootings by LAPD officers rising again after years of decline
LA Times
Video gives clearer picture of fatal LAPD shooting on Hollywood Boulevard
LA Times
‘He doesn’t have the knife!’: Body-worn video puts LAPD shooting in new context
LA Times
LAPD shootings up compared with recent years, including two occurring Monday
LA Times
Police shoot and kill man they say was holding relative at knifepoint in West L.A.
LA Times
Man shot outside jail in Chicago had up to 64 bullet wounds
India TV News
LAPD shootings of unstable people wielding sharp objects a deadly problem
LA Times
LAPD shootings remained near historic low in 2020, but are up in 2021
LA Times
Startling surge in L.A. bloodshed as COVID-19 fades: ‘Too many guns in too many hands’
LA Times
LAPD reports shooting of knife-wielding man in San Fernando Valley
LA Times
Video shows man with a fake gun outside LAPD Olympic station before officer shoots him
LA Times
LAPD shooting outside Olympic station adds to ‘striking’ cluster of police shootings since last week
LA Times
L.A. Police Commission rules officer broke policy with final two shots in Hernandez killing
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