A Los Angeles police officer shot and killed a homeless man earlier today — after they already taser’d him and pinned him to the ground.
According to witnesses, the man wouldn’t come out of his tent in the Skid Row district of downtown. According to local law, homeless are permitted to sleep in tents in public areas between the hours of 6pm and 9am.
When officers responded to the call, the homeless man — who reportedly goes by the name “Africa” — was fighting with someone else in his tent.
Eyewitness Dennis Horne, told the Los Angeles Times
When Africa refused to comply with a police order to come out of the tent, officers used the Taser on him and dragged him out, Horne said. The officers tackled Africa to the ground, where he continued to fight, which led to the fatal shooting, according to Horne.
The entire police interaction was captured on video and uploaded to Facebook by Anthony Blackburn.
In the clip, you witness more than 5 officers try to subdue “Africa” and at some point you hear a taser being deployed. During the scuffle, you can hear an officer shout “he’s got my gun!” before five gunshots are fired.
“This man got shot over a tent,” a witness said.
Watch the video below. WARNING: There’s no blood in the clip, but it is graphic.
