LAPD fatally shoots man; family calls it unjustified

An unidentified person shot Monday night by a Los Angeles police officer in the Florence neighborhood has died, authorities said Tuesday.

An officer with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Newton Division conducted “an investigative stop” in the 200 block of West 65th Street about 8:20 p.m. Monday, according to a LAPD news release. During the stop, a “struggle ensued” and the officer shot the person.

LAPD media relations officer Jane Kim said no other information was available, including the victim’s identity or why the officer approached him or her.

But family members of the man killed told a different story to KTLA News. The station interviewed a woman who said she was the deceased man’s mother. She identified him as Ezell Ford and said he was lying on the ground complying with officer’s commands when he was shot in the back.

“My heart is so heavy,” Tritobia Ford told the station. “My son was a good kid. He didn’t deserve to die the way he did.”

She and other family members described Ford as “mentally challenged” and demanded answers.

“All we want to know is why they did it,” Ezell Ford Sr. told the station.

The LAPD’s Force Investigation Division is handling the investigation. Police Chief Charlie Beck, Inspector General Alex Bustamante and the Board of Police Commissioners will ultimately review the results to verify whether the shooting fell within guidelines mandating that use of force be “objectively reasonable.”

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office will also investigate the shooting, which is standard practice in officer-involved shootings.

There have been at least 303 people killed in officer-involved shootings since 2007, according to The Times’ Homicide Report database.

Anyone with information about Monday’s shooting is asked to call the LAPD’s Force Investigation Division at (213) 486-5230. During non-business hours or on weekends, call (877) 527-3247. Anonymous callers may call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.

No officers were injured.

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