Witness claims she heard LAPD shout, “Shoot Him.”
The shooting of 25-year-old Ezell Ford comes days after the killing of Mike Brown. Our hearts haven’t even began to heal and another tragedy in an unfortunate case of police brutality has taken place. A witness told the Huffington Post that she heard an officer yell “shoot him” before three shots were fired into Ford. Ford, a black male, was unarmed and on the ground. According to a LAPD news release, on Monday around 8:20 p.m., police conducted an “investigative stop” in the 200 block of West 65th Street in the Newton area of South LA. The release says, “During the stop a struggle ensued, which resulted in an officer-involved-shooting. The suspect was transported to a local hospital and after lifesaving efforts he succumbed to his injuries.” LAPD released an official statement as of 8 p.m. today describing their account of what took place Monday night.
“When the officers got closer and attempted to stop the individual, the individual turned, grabbed one of the officers, and a struggle ensued. During the struggle, they fell to the ground and the individual attempted to remove the officer’s handgun from its holster. The partner officer then fired his handgun and the officer on the ground fired his backup weapon at the individual…After the officers fired their handguns at the individual, they were able to handcuff him and call for a rescue ambulance. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics arrived and transported the individual to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.”
On Wednesday morning, a group of about 10 young and middle-aged man gathered at a sidewalk memorial for Ford visibly grieving and upset by his death. The memorial, lined with candles surrounded a sign that read “Police Brutality Must Stop.” All of the men admitted that Ford suffered from some sort of mental illness. Although they were unable to identify the illness the men made it clear that Ford’s illness was well known in the neighborhood as well as to police.
“He wasn’t all there, he was there enough to follow orders and know to stop when the police tell him to stop. He did nothing wrong,” an unidentified witness said.
Another neighbor came forward saying that the same officers who were involved in the incident on Monday were the same officers who were in the neighborhood the day before and allegedly harassed Ford. The man also said it wasn’t the first time Ford was targeted. All of the men at the memorial told the Huffington Post that police often patrol their neighborhood, a gesture that, they see as aggression rather than an act to keep the peace. The men praised Ford as “a good guy” and said that he wasn’t at all gang affiliated. We’ll have more information on this story as soon as updates become available. In the mean time, Mike Brown and Ezell Ford’s families are in all of our prayers.
