Fatal LAPD Shootings Jumped In 2021; More Suspects Armed With Non-Firearm Weapons
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The number of fatal LAPD officer-involved shootings went up in 2021 than the year before, Chief Michel Moore told the Los Angeles Police Commission on Tuesday.
In 2021, there were 37 shootings involving the LAPD, 18 of them fatal, Moore said. That's up from 2020, when there were 27 police shootings, seven of which were fatal.
The past two years marked a reversal of the LAPD's decrease in officer-involved shootings. In 2019, the LAPD reached a three-decade low with 26 police shootings.
"To see this resurgence, to see it come in with the increase in weapons other than firearms, is causing us to take a deep dive to identify what training and what other avenues we need to pursue," Moore told the commission.
Of last year's 37 shootings, about 40% of the suspects had a firearm. The remaining 22 had objects classified as weapons, including edged weapons, vehicles, and bike locks. In 2020, 59% of the suspects in police shootings had firearms.
"In our initial analysis of this past year of shootings, we notice a significant increase in instances involving weapons other than firearms," Moore said.
The chief added that the department is reviewing its dispatch protocols and policies for reports that involve non-firearm weapons.
(© Copyright 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)