Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies were caught on video fatally shooting Dijon Kizzee, a 29-year-old Black man, Monday afternoon.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Lt. Brandon Dean said, per the Los Angeles Times, that Kizzee was in violation of vehicle codes while riding a bicycle.
Deputies alleged that they attempted to contact Kizzee, prompting him to leave the bicycle behind and take off on foot. The deputies, who were following Kizzee, then shot him after a handgun fell out of a jacket he was carrying and had dropped, according to Dean. It is unclear how many times Kizzee was shot.
Grainy security camera footage of the incident was obtained by the Times and released on Wednesday. It shows a physical altercation between Kizzee and the deputies before the deputies open fire several times.
In security footage obtained and reviewed by CBSLA, at least 18 shots can be heard ringing out.
A user on Twitter, who goes by @Ireeeennnne on the platform, is alleging that the incident took place in their own backyard. “Until I knew his name my dad & I were terrified it was my brother. I have to go out tomorrow and see all of the blood left behind. Lapd had me blocked inside of my house and had his body lying on my property for hours,” @Ireeeennnne wrote.
Ed Obayashi, a Plumas County deputy sheriff and national expert on the use of force, told the Times that deputies have the discretion to “weigh the risk benefit of pursuing someone for a violation as minor as this.” However, Obayashi added there was no reason for deputies to open fire on a man who was in the process of running away.
According to Los Angeles County data, Kizzee is the eighth man to be fatally shot by the Los Angeles County Sherriff’s Department since the police killing of George Floyd in May. Kizzee’s death sparked several local protests amid ongoing nationwide protests against police brutality and systematic racism.
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