The Los Angeles Police Department announced Tuesday that not only did officers think a 48-year-old man they shot was threatening them with a weapon, witnesses at the scene thought so too.
The department issued its second statement in two days about what happened Friday evening in the Los Feliz area, resulting in the wounding of Walter William DeLeon, who remains hospitalized in critical condition.
The department issued a statement Monday saying DeLeon had approached officers “in an aggressive manner.” A statement issued today added that “several witnesses stated that they saw DeLeon walking aggressively toward the officers pointing what they also believed was a gun.”
Police did not say how many witnesses had confirmed the officers’ point of view.
Today’s statement made the point that DeLeon was on the sidewalk about 30 to 35 feet from the officers’ patrol car. They also added that the officers approached DeLeon after they had fired at him, putting him in handcuffs.
Some residents in the neighborhood complained that DeLeon was handcuffed before medical attention was paid to him.
Today’s statement made the point that before paramedics arrived, “a physician who was nearby provided medical treatment to DeLeon with the assistance of the two officers.”
They also noted that “Los Angeles Police Department procedures require officers to handcuff felony arrestees to maintain control of the suspect and the officers must consider factors including the potential threat to officers and other people. As in all uses of deadly force, the department will review compliance with all policies and procedures during the incident.”
Today’s statement was preceded by a note that “The following information is based on a preliminary, ongoing investigation which continues to evolve as investigators interview witnesses, review physical and electronic records, and analyze forensic evidence. The department’s understanding of the incident may change as the investigation continues and additional evidence is collected and analyzed.
The point was made on Monday that the officers believed the man had a gun when he approached them, but no firearm was recovered.
“Two uniformed police officers assigned to Security Services Division were stopped in traffic in their marked black and white police vehicle on Los Feliz Boulevard near Tica Drive,” the statement continued.
“The officers observed a male on the sidewalk walking towards them in an aggressive manner, point at them with his hands wrapped in a gray cloth.”
The officers “exited their vehicle and believing that the male had a gun they ordered him to drop the gun,” police said. “The male refused to comply with the officers’ commands at which time an officer-involved shooting occurred.”
The Los Angeles Times quoted DeLeon’s family as saying he was a father of two who worked in construction and often walked with a rag to wipe away perspiration.
DeLeon’s 18-year-old son, also named William, told The Times he had been shocked to learn his father had been shot by police.
“At first, I thought it was like a random person that did it,” William DeLeon said. “Then I found out it was the cops. I didn’t understand why, because I know my dad wouldn’t do anything to provoke it.”
KABC-AM (790) morning host Doug McIntyre today drew a parallel to the shooting and Leon Czolgosz’s assassination of President William McKinley in 1901 when the anarchist’s right hand was wrapped in a handkerchief to conceal a gun.
The shooting is being probed by the department’s Force Investigation Division. When the investigation is completed, the results will be reviewed by police Chief Charlie Beck, the Office of the Inspector General and the Board of Police Commissioners.
Anyone with information about the shooting was asked to call the Force Investigation Division at (213) 486-5230.
— City News Service