Witness: Teen Fatally Shot By Deputy In 2009 Was Not Holding Gun
COMPTON (AP) — An eyewitness says a teenager fatally shot in the back by a Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy two years ago did not brandish a weapon and posed no threat.
The testimony Friday contradicted the sheriff's official account of the shooting in Compton that killed 16-year-old Avery Cody Jr.
Cody's parents are suing the county and the sheriff's department.
The Los Angeles Times reports a grainy video of Cody just before the shooting shows the right-handed teen with an object in his left hand. His family and friends say the object was a cell phone, not the revolver that sheriff's deputies say they recovered at the scene.
Cody was shot when he took off running after he was stopped by deputies for allegedly jaywalking.
A Sheriff's Department spokesman says the shooting was investigated by the department and the deputy was cleared of any policy violations.
(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
