Family Of Man Shot By Officer Wants Outside Agency To Investigate
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- The Miami-Dade chapter of the NAACP and attorney Glenn Goldberg held a news conference Wednesday afternoon, along with the family of Lavall Hall, the man shot and killed by Miami Gardens Police.
They want an outside agency to investigate the shooting death and more mental health training for officers.
While they demand answers, a little girl is mourning the loss of her father.
Aaryiah Hall cried silently while her mother, Melissa Edwards explained to the little girl what has been going on since Miami Gardens police shot and killed her father, Lavall Hall, during a confrontation.
Click here to watch Natalia Zea's report.
"It hurts to see my 8-year old baby crying for her father who they never should have took in the first place. He was not a bad guy at all," Edwards told CBS4's Natalia Zea.
Officers Eddo Trimino and Peter Ehrlich responded to Hall's home early Sunday morning when Hall's mother, Catherine Daniels called 911 for help to take him to a mental facility like she had done on other occasions. Hall was having a schizophrenic episode and was walking the streets with a broom.
During a news conference Tuesday evening, Miami Gardens Police Chief Stephen Johnson laid out part of the series of events that led to the shooting.
"The subject then commenced to proceed using that broom handle. Which we know our officers sustained injuries from that," he said.
Chief Johnson says both officers shot Hall with a taser, which didn't stop him. Ultimately they fired five shots, with their guns, hitting him twice.
Officer Trimino has faced an investigation before. He was cleared of any wrongdoing in the shooting death of murder suspect Robert Desir in 2013 in Miami Gardens. In that case, police say Desir shot at him first.
In this incident, Chief Johnson says he was injured and taken to a hospital.
"This is very traumatic for the officers. One officer has stitches," said Chief Johnson.
Daniels struggles to accept that her son could have beaten an officer.
"I don't believe it, I don't believe it, I don't," she said while shaking her head.
Hall's family has retained Goldberg, who says above all the family needs answers that the department has not yet given, including seeing and hearing the recordings from the police dash cam.
"We want, we demand transparency."
Even when the answers are clear, Aaralyah may not understand it all. But now, at the tender age of 8, she feels loss that makes even adults break down.
"Now she'll never see him again. Why? That's my question also. Why?" asked Edwards.
The State Attorney's office is investigating as they do in all police shootings to determine if a crime was committed.
Miami Gardens Police' Internal Affairs is investigating administratively. Hall's family also wants an outside agency like the Florida Department of Law Enforcement or the Department of Justice to look into the shooting.
An FDLE spokeswoman said they will investigate, but only if the Miami Gardens Police Department requests it.
