United States: protest in Los Angeles after death of black man killed by police
Demonstrators gathered in Los Angeles to protest the death of Dijon Kizzee, an African American killed by police on August 31, 2020. REUTERS / Patrick T. Fallon
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
A demonstration took place Tuesday evening September 1 in Los Angeles to demand answers after the death of a black man killed the day before by police, who claim he was armed with a pistol, in a climate of renewed tension by the Jacob Blake affair.
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A small crowd gathered at the scene of the shooting on Tuesday evening and marched peacefully, accompanied by a procession of cars, to the police station, as a helicopter flew over them.
Some of the demonstrators carried a banner that read "Stop the murdering cops".
According to local media, around 100 people had already gathered at the scene on Monday evening, as the anti-racist protest movement was revived in the United States after
a white policeman shot seven times in the back
of a black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The victim, identified as Dijon Kizzee, 29, was riding a bicycle Monday afternoon in a southern Los Angeles neighborhood when the sheriff's men tried to stop him for a traffic violation.
However, the Los Angeles sheriff's services did not specify at this stage what offense he was charged with.
"
The police shot him in the back more than 20 times
"
According to the authorities' account, Dijon Kizzee "
left running
" after leaving his bike behind.
The police managed to catch up with him.
It was at this point, Lieutenant Brandon Dean told reporters, that the young African American "
punched one of the officers in the face
."
The suspect dropped a pile of clothes in his hand.
“
Officers noticed that a black semi-automatic pistol was inside the pile of clothes,
” the lieutenant continued.
The police then fired.
The man, hit by several bullets, died on the spot.
Lawyer Ben Crump
, who represents the family, called possible witnesses to contact him.
“
They say he ran, dropped clothes and gun,
” Ben Crump tweeted.
“
He didn't pick it up, but the police shot him in the back over 20 times and then left him there for hours.
"
(With AFP)
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