LA County sheriff says deputies shot, killed Dijon Kizzee after he reached for gun
Authorities say Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies shot and killed a Black bicyclist they stopped for a traffic violation after he assaulted a deputy and reached for a firearm that he dropped.
SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Authorities say Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies shot and killed a Black bicyclist they stopped for a traffic violation after he assaulted a deputy and reached for a firearm that he dropped.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department released a statement Tuesday night detailing what led up to the shooting death Monday afternoon of 29-year-old Dijon Kizzee.
The incident began when deputies who were driving in the area saw a man -- later identified as Kizzee -- riding a bicycle and attempted to pull him over for a vehicle code violation in the area of 110th Street and Budlong Avenue, authorities say. The department has not specified what type of vehicle code violation the deputies suspected.
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Kizzee allegedly dropped the bike and ran from deputies, who caught up to him a short time later on 109th Place. At that point, authorities say, Kizzee fought with the deputies and punched one of them in the face.
He had been carrying several items of clothing in his hands, which he dropped to the ground. The two deputies spotted a handgun among clothing, according to authorities. Investigators say deputies believed Kizzee was reaching for the gun on the ground, and at that point, the shooting occurred.
"The suspect made a motion toward the firearm," the department said in the statement. The firearm is described as a black semi-automatic handgun.
Kizzee was struck more than once by the gunfire. He died at the scene.
Doorbell video provided by a resident of the neighborhood provides audio of what appears to be at least 15 to 16 shots fired during the incident.
WATCH: Doorbell video provides audio of South Los Angeles deputy-involved shooting
The video, timestamped 3:14 p.m., shows two residents peeking out their front door as they hear the commotion and then running back inside as they hear multiple shots ring out in rapid succession.
While the 10-second video snippet provided to Eyewitness News includes the sound of at least those shots, it is not clear if additional shots were fired immediately before or after the video.
Another angle from what appears to be a security camera captured the incident, including the struggle, and within seconds, Kizzee was shot.
WATCH: LASD gives update on South LA deputy-involved shooting
Attorney Ben Crump has been retained to represent Kizzee's family.
Crump released the following statement Wednesday morning:
"Sleeping while Black. Jogging while Black. And now, cycling while Black. Every day another Black person is gunned down by police for no other reason than the color of their skin. When will it stop? We hardly begin to mourn one tragically lost soul, before another is stolen from us. We stand with Dijon's family in demanding justice and transparency into this despicable and tragic killing perpetrated by Los Angeles County officers. When officers shoot first and ask questions later, precious lives are lost and police lose credibility and trust from those they are sworn to protect. The people of Los Angeles deserve a police force they can trust, and Dijon's family deserves answers and justice."
The shooting has led to protests by civil rights activists, including the group Black Lives Matter.
Several elected officials are also calling the incident another unjustified shooting of a Black man.
"These are the families that I represent, this is another killing of a young Black man. It keeps going on in this country. We have to be here, we have to stand up," said Los Angeles Rep. Maxine Waters.
Protesters joined by Kizzee's relatives demonstrated in the street outside the South L.A. sheriff's station on Tuesday night. Deputies in riot gear stood behind barricades.
The South L.A. shooting comes on the heels of the police shooting of a man who is also Black in Kenosha, Wisconsin. That shooting left Jacob Blake paralyzed and prompted days of protests that reinvigorated the national debate on racial injustice and policing.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
