Police Fatally Shoot 18-Year-Old Man In Watts; Officer Hospitalized
WATTS (CBSLA.com) — A Los Angeles Police officer remained hospitalized Tuesday for treatment of a gunshot wound sustained during a shoot out with a suspect in Watts.
The shooting unfolded around 11 p.m. Monday near 112th and Antwerp streets in the Nickerson Gardens area.
According to police, two officers were patrolling the public housing project when they tried to approach a group.
An 18-year-old African American man fled from the scene and fired at the officers.
Police returned fire at the suspect, subsequently killing him. He was later identified as Richard Risher Jr.
An officer was struck in the arm by gunfire during the shoot out and was transported to a hospital. According to Beck, the officer is expected to survive.
One person was detained at the scene and detectives recovered the handgun used in the shooting.
"I lost my son," Risher's father told CBS2's Jasmine Viel. "To the nation, you know, everybody needs to start standing up 'cause people are getting tired of their kids getting killed. He was a very good human being. He was only 18. This could have been resolved in a better manner."
The Los Angeles Police Protective League issued a written statement in response to the incident that reads in part: "Last night's shooting of a Los Angeles Police officer demonstrates how unsafe many parts of Los Angeles remain. When multiple officers are shot at for simply doing their job it underscores the need for residents to redouble their efforts to work with law enforcement to address violent crime in their neighborhoods. While it's tragic anytime a life is lost, our officers must act to protect their own lives and try to keep the public safe."
The shooting remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.