Gardena Police Officers Killing Unarmed Man

[Berserk]

Found this on the web (and not yet on DR).
If someone has some photo's or more info u'r welcome!

14 jul. 2015 -

A federal court released police video recordings Tuesday that show Gardena officers fatally shooting one unarmed man and wounding another in a 2013 incident that resulted in a recent $4.7 million legal settlement by the city.

The full story: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...14369191098620

The city -- which had refused to make the videos public -- argued during a civil rights lawsuit brought by relatives of the dead man that the recordings show he repeatedly disregarded police orders and moved his hand in a way that led officers to believe he was reaching for a weapon.

But attorneys representing the man’s family argued that the videos show that he and the other man who was shot were unarmed and that officers gave confusing orders.

[Ksiegmund]

Doesn't look justified....Could have apprehended them while their arms were up.

[Matzvey]

This looked brutally unjustified to me. No charging the cops or reaching for anything, just didn't do what he was told and put his arms down.

[chewbacca]

In the cops defense the guy in the black shirts right hand was not in view. I imagine they are there due to a "guy with a gun" call or something. The cops were waaaay too trigger happy imo.

[chrisnsal]

some are ok some are corrupt some are down right bastards , this episode obviously starred the latter two ! as described far too trigger appy, tey bviouly wanted to take that perp out ! IMO

[chrisnsal]

Originally Posted by chrisnsal

some are ok some are corrupt some are down right bastards , this episode obviously starred the latter two ! as described far too trigger appy, tey bviouly wanted to take that perp out ! IMO

they obviously waned to , sorry keyboard is fucked

[Berserk]

Gardena, Calif. – A federal judge ordered the release of a highly incriminating video that shows Gardena police officers gun down two men who were not only unarmed but posed no outward threat to officers.

Police dash cams recorded parts of the June 2, 2013, fatal shooting of Ricardo Diaz-Zeferino, who was shot eight times, with another man, Eutiquio Acevedo Mendez, being wounded in the attack.

The judge ordered the videos’ release, overriding the emphatic objection of police after the city settled a lawsuit relating to the shooting for $4.7 million, according to the Los Angeles Times. The judge qualified this decision by stating that there was an overriding public interest in the release of the footage.

The city, immediately after the ruling was issued, attempted to secure an order from the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, to stop the district court from enforcing its order to release the video. A judge subsequently granted the request, but by that time The Times had already obtained the videos and posted them to YouTube.

The cold-blooded killing occurred after police responded to a simple call regarding a stolen bike outside a local drugstore. Police allege that the dispatcher mistakenly relayed to responding officers that the crime was a robbery, which typically involves the use of force or weapons.

Officers responded to the area of the theft, when Sgt. Christopher Cuff came upon two men riding bicycles. The men were actually friends of the bike theft victim and were out searching for the stolen bicycle.

Tragically, Cuff assumed the men were the thieves and demanded they stop and raise their hands, according to a district attorney’s memo. As the two men stood in front of the police vehicle, Diaz-Zeferino, who was the brother of the theft victim, ran up to his detained friends. According to witness reports, Diaz-Zeferino yelled to the officer that they had the wrong people.

At this point, two more squad cars arrive on scene, with three more officers training their weapons on the good samaritans.

Not surprisingly, the district attorney’s memo attempts to justify the murder by the police, alleging Diaz-Inferno was reached for his waistband twice – which we all know is punishable by execution.


It’s important to note that claiming the suspect reached for their waistband, causing the officer to fear for their life, is the standard claim that officers attempt to use to justify the killing of unarmed individuals.

The video shows an officer yell, “You do it again, you’re going to get shot,” at Diaz-Zeferino, who removes his hat, lowering his hands. According to the DA’s memo, three officers then opened fire.

“The videos show the cold-blooded shooting of clearly unarmed men,” R. Samuel Paz, attorney for some of the victims, said.

The American Civil Liberties Union also weighed in on the case.

“Today’s federal court decision in a fatal Gardena police shooting is an important reminder that holding law enforcement accountable depends on the public’s access to information on police conduct,” read the statement.

The fact that police gunned down friends of the theft victim who were simply attempting to be good samaritans cannot be overstated. The warrior cop mentality displayed by these officers highlights exactly what is wrong with policing. Had the officers taken the time to de-escalate the situation, rather than to display a response based on fear and adrenaline, perhaps a life would have been saved, and a tragedy averted.

[kellyhound]

The city -- which had refused to make the videos public

The judge ordered the videos’ release, overriding the emphatic objection of police after the city settled a lawsuit relating to the shooting for $4.7 million.

that alone says enough imo

[Lion-hearted Girl]

Jesus! The dude must have startled them when he took his hat off. Maybe they thought he had a gun. Way too fast on the trigger. Horrible

[kustom80]

The cop should be executed, there is absolutely no way he can justify his actions.