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

Saturday, May 21, 2022
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.

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


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.

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