LAPD chief recommends charges for officer who killed homeless man
LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck has recommended criminal charges against an officer who killed an unarmed homeless man in Venice, Calif.
Officer Clifford Proctor is accused of shooting Brendon Glenn, 29, who was unarmed at the time of the shooting on May 5, 2015, according to CBS Los Angeles. Paramedics then took the victim to a nearby hospital, where he later died.
Beck told the Los Angeles Times investigators concluded that Glenn was on his stomach, attempting to push himself off the ground, when Proctor fired twice, hitting the 29-year-old in the back last May.
A copy of the 911 call was reportedly obtained by The Associated Press after the shooting. It revealed that Proctor was responding to a call about a man -- later identified as Glenn -- was harassing passersby near a block of restaurants and bars.
Beck says after reviewing video, witness accounts and other evidence, investigators determined Glenn was not trying to take either Proctor's gun or his partner's weapon at the time of the shooting. Proctor's partner told investigators he did not know why the officer opened fire.
Proctor's attorney says the officer saw Glenn reaching for his partner's gun, according to the Times. However, the attorney acknowledged the video did not show where Glenn's hands were during the altercation.
Beck says he made his recommendation last month to Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey, who will ultimately decide whether to file charges. However, the recommendation marks the first time the police chief has called for charges to be filed in an on-duty fatal shooting, according to the paper.
Following the recommendation, the city's mayor, Eric Garcetti, released a statement, according t0 the station. In it, he says that no one is above the law.
"Our officers perform heroic work every day, work that often goes unheard, but accountability is fundamental to the trust that needs to exist between our officers and the people they serve," the statement reportedly read.
The District Attorney's Office has yet to release a statement with regards to Beck's recommendation.