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The Los Angeles Police Commission has just ruled, after meeting for three hours in closed session, that the officers who shot Ezell Ford, the unarmed 25-year-old confronted in South LA, acted partially within department policy and partly outside policy. One officer was justified in firing his weapon, while the other officer was out of policy in several actions, the commission decided unanimously, according to commission president Steven Soboroff.
"This is a tragedy for all involved -- the family, relatives, loved
ones and friends of Mr. Ford, as well as the involved police officers,'' Soboroff said. "To the Ford family, my fellow Police Commissioners and I extend our sincere sympathies for your profound loss." Update: Soboroff's comments on the LAPD Blog.
According to media reports, confirmed as accurate by Soboroff's comments, the LAPD's internal review and Chief Charlie Beck had previously cleared both officers. The independent inspector general had concluded after an investigation that one of the officers had violated policy.
Beck will now determine what, if any, department discipline the officers should receive.
Mayor Garcetti has scheduled a 5:30 p.m. press conference at City Hall. He reportedly met with the Ford family for about an hour this afternoon at First AME Church of Los Angeles. The family is expected ti hold its own press conference at 8 p.m. at First AME.
Protesters had set up outside his residence in Windsor Square over the weekend, leading to uncomfortable footage of the mayor speaking to the demonstrators out the window of his SUV on his way to LAX to catch a flight to Washington.
Details from the LA Weekly story:
The actions of the senior officer, identified only by his rank of police officer III, were determined to have been out-of-policy when it came to tactics, drawing his weapon, non-lethal use of force and use of force.
The actions of the junior officer, identified police officer II, were found to have been out-of-policy in only one facet of the investigation — the "first drawing" of his weapon during the confrontation.All the findings were confirmed unanimously, 5-0, by the commission, Soboroff said.
The LAPD previously identified the cops as Charlton Wampler (police officer III) and Antonio Villegas (police officer II).
From the LA Times:
The Los Angeles Police Commission issued a mixed ruling Tuesday in last year’s killing of a mentally ill black man, finding that one officer was wrong to use deadly force but clearing another in the fatal shooting.
The board also faulted both officers for their decisions to draw their weapons at different points during the confrontation with Ezell Ford and disapproved of the tactics used by one of the officers.[skip]
While the commission identified the officers only by their ranks in announcing its decision, LAPD records show that it was Wampler, a 13-year veteran of the force, who was judged harshly. The commission found he was unjustified to open fire on Ford in the Aug. 11 shooting, wrong to draw his weapon, and had used unacceptable tactics.
Starting this morning, the commission heard three hours of public comments before retreating to closed session. Ford's mother, Tritobia Ford, was one of the speakers.
"Ezell was mentally ill," she said. "He wasn't a lunatic. He wasn't suicidal, he wanted to live. Ezell has been stopped many times by police before and he lived."
The meeting was interrupted at times by chants and protesters. Barricades surrounded the LAPD headquarters and there was a show of strength by officers. It's believed that the department has called a tactical alert in the wake of the commission's ruling, with tensions running high about this case.
The Ezell Ford case and the challenge before the police commission was my topic on yesterday's weekly LA Observed segment on KCRW.
Curren Price, one of the City Council members from South Los Angeles, said in a statement:
Los Angeles has come a long way over the last few decades, and good work has gone into making our police system more transparent, efficient and fair. The investigative process that we have seen unfold over the course of 10 months, culminating today, is an example of those reforms in action.
The Ezell Ford case though, and other incidents involving use of police force in our City and across the country, let us know that we still have more work to do before we can truly heal and develop the kind of trust we need between the police and our community. Critical to this process is ensuring that people are held accountable for their actions when policies are not followed, and that we have the courage and will to change policies when they no longer serve the best interest of our residents.I applaud the Police Commission for the tremendous amount of volunteer hours they have devoted to this investigation. Now we owe it to the Ford family and our entire community, to act with urgency in responding to the commission’s findings. Beyond that, we should use this as an opportunity to continue developing programs to bridge the gap between law enforcement and our communities of color. The future of our City depends on it.
Gary Fullerton, whose law firm is representing the officers, said the evidence showed the officers acted reasonably.
What we’re concerned is the commission succumbed to the pressure of the mob. It’s a shame that police officers can’t do their job and protect their lives.
They got in a fight with this guy and a bad thing happened. It’s unfortunate that it happened.
Lightly updated here and there.
