Vigil held for Keenan Anderson, man who died after being tased by LAPD officers

Friends, family and supporters gathered in memory of Keenan Allen in Venice Saturday evening, after the 31-year-old English teacher died after being tased by Los Angeles Police Department officers on January 3. 

The vigil began at 5 p.m., at the intersection of Venice Boulevard and Lincoln Boulevard, the same spot where the incident occurred. 

Anderson, a cousin of Black Lives Matters co-founder Patrisse Cullors, was the father of a six-year-old child, and was employed as a teacher for the last eight years. 

A resident of Washington, D.C., he was visiting family in the area for the holidays when the incident occurred. 

Cullors took to social media to voice her concerns with the officers' actions and to mourn the loss of her cousin. 

"Keenan deserves to be alive right now," she said via a post on Instagram. "His child deserves to be raised by his father. Keenan, we will fight for you and for all our loved ones impacted by state violence."

Police claim that Anderson appeared intoxicated during the incident, and that he was suspected of causing a traffic collision on Jan. 3 near the intersection where he was tased. 

Family members and supporters maintain that Anderson appeared to be in the midst of a mental health crisis when officers arrived to the scene.

Body camera footage released by LAPD shows Anderson running in the middle of the street upon officers' arrival at the scene, where he was exhibiting erratic behavior. 

As officers spoke with Anderson, he suddenly ran from the area, causing them to chase him on foot. When they finally caught up with him, officers allege that he was resisting their efforts.

It was then that they used a stun gun, bodyweight, firm grips and joint locks to assist in their handcuffing of Anderson. He also had his ankles hobbled to prevent him from running again. 

As officers attempted to restrain him, Anderson can be heard shouting that they were trying to "trying to George Floyd me," referring to the Black man who was killed by police in Minneapolis, Minn. when an officer knelt on his neck and back for 9 minutes and 29 seconds, causing him to lose oxygen. The incident caused widespread outrage across the United States, including protests in many major cities. 

Officers called Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics to the scene, who transported Anderson to a nearby hospital where he was later pronounced dead. 

The incident is one of three fatal "use of force incidents that caused "deep concern" from LAPD Chief Michel Moore, all which occurred within two days of each other across Los Angeles County. 

Moore said that Anderson was tased six times during his struggle with officers. 

"In my preliminary review of this incident, it's unclear what the role of the taser was," Moore said. "To be clear, it's dependent on the totality of our investigate resources, but also on medical records from the hospital as well as a coroner's report and their formal and forensic level examination. As the investigation continues, however, I will play close attention to the use of the taser."

Additional incidents included the fatal shooting of Takar Smith in Westlake on Jan. 2, when officers were called to a residence in the 200 block of Witmer Street for a domestic violence incident. Smith was allegedly armed with a knife when the shooting occurred. 

Officers also fatally wounded Oscar Leon Sanchez on Jan. 3, when they shot him after being dispatched to the 2700 block of Central Avenue regarding a man armed with a weapon. They claim that he was armed with a "sharp metal pole" as he approached them, leading to the shooting.