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LOS ANGELES, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Two men, one black and one Latino, were fatally shot by police in Los Angeles in the past weekend and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) released a video on Tuesday morning showing moments before one shooting in response to protests and community reactions.
Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck Tuesday released the security video of the chase leading up to the fatal police shooting of an 18-year-old man in South Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon.
Beck told local media that he and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti discussed the issue and decided it was right to release the video to correct what the chief called competing accounts about Saturday's shooting of Carnell Snell Jr.
The video was taken from a nearby business and Beck said the recording "clearly shows" the 18-year-old Snell running with a gun in his hand as he was pursued by officers.
"My huge concern is that the dueling narratives further divide the community," said Beck. The release of the tape came as the LAPD is trying to quell protests sparked by the death of the black teenager.
A preliminary and ongoing investigation of LAPD shows that police officers observed a light blue Nissan that had paper plates that didn't match the year of the car.
The police attempted to conduct an investigation at a traffic stop around 1 p.m. on Saturday. But the car failed to yield.
The officers broadcasted that they were in pursuit of a possible stolen vehicle. Then the vehicle stopped and two Black men exited and fled on foot in different directions.
Officers chased Snell for about 200 meters on foot, during which they saw him remove a handgun from his waistband, Beck said. Snell then "turned in the direction of the pursuing officers," Beck said. Police shot at Snell six times, striking him twice.
A handgun was found near Snell's body. It was fully loaded, according to Beck, indicating it had not been fired.
On Sunday, police fatally shot another man, a Latino, in South Los Angeles. "As the officers approached the male to initiate a pedestrian stop, the male turned and pointed a handgun at the officers," Beck said.
Then police shot and killed the man who later died at a nearby hospital.
But when officers examined what looked like the man's gun, they learned it was a replica gun whose orange tip had been painted black to make it look real.
The weekend's shootings sparked protests and community reactions. Despite Tuesday's release of the video, anger still boiled over at a Police Commission meeting in downtown Los Angeles, where activists repeatedly shouted at Beck as he tried to give an update to the panel.
"You're a disgusting person," a woman shouted at him. "You're a horrible leader... You should quit for the good of the city."
Beck noted 450 people have been shot so far this year in just four LAPD divisions, where more than 500 guns have been recovered.
"Handsguns are far too prevalent," Beck said. "Until we address the core issue of violence in our communities ... primarily young men with guns, we are going to be doomed to this cycle."
