Family demands criminal charges against deputy who shot and killed teen

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Family members of a 16-year-old who was shot and killed by a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy are asking for criminal charges to be filed in the case. Los Angeles County has already settled a wrongful death case filed in the boy's February 2018 shooting death.

"I just want to say this was never about the money, but to me the settlement is an acknowledgement of guilt," says Weber's mother Demetra Johnson.

The sheriff's department says the teen was armed when he was shot in the Westmont area of South Los Angeles last year after leaving a friend's Super Bowl party. The county says deputies found a weapon at a home nearby that belonged to Weber.

In a statement, the LASD tells Eyewitness News, "The loss of life which occurred during the call for service, is unfortunate and tragic. The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, however, maintains that its deputies acted reasonably under the circumstances, and the facts developed during the course of the investigation strongly support our conclusion. Our personnel remain committed to protecting those who reside, do business and travel through areas of Los Angeles County we serve, and will continue to provide the high level of quality law enforcement services for which we are know."

Attorneys for the family insist their investigation shows the teen could not have had a gun.

"Their claim that someone in the crowd took the gun is manufactured," says attorney Gregory Yates. "It's not possible within the laws of the universe."

Tempers flared as community members expressed their frustration after a teenager was shot and killed by sheriff's deputies in Westmont.

"We think the evidence was clear that the shooting was excessive and unreasonable and that is why we believe the county settled the case early on," says attorney Dale Galipo.

They say Weber was shot 16 times. Weber's father is calling on the LASD to change its protocol in treating victims shot by deputies.

"In my son's case, he laid there and bled out for over 30 minutes while they were looking for a gun that doesn't exist," says father John Weber.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office says the case is under review.

The family of Anthony Weber says most of the settlement money will be put in a trust for his 2-year old daughter who will grow up without a father.