Community members gather in Bellflower to protest deadly shootings by LASD, other law enforcement

BELLFLOWER, Calif. (KABC) -- Family and community members gathered Saturday to protest the fatal deputy shooting of a local father they say was killed while suffering a mental health emergency.

The group marched from Edgar Ortiz's home in Bellflower to the station, to protest that and other killings by law enforcement.
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The shooting happened in Bellflower, as Deputies were dispersing a street takeover.

A person told deputies Ortiz, 32, had stabbed them with a gardening tool. When Deputies approached the suspect, they say he swung the metal claw at them.

MORE | Man holding gardening tool fatally shot by deputies responding to 'street takeover' in Bellflower

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His mother spoke out at Saturday's event.

"Oh my God. You know what? Edgar was a good, good son. And right now you know (voice cracks) I lost somebody I love a lot, said Maria Ortiz. "That's hard to me and I lost somebody, that my kids."



She says her son was hard worker, a father of six, and at the time of his death, had a 7th child on the way.