Activists demand justice after double amputee shot to death by police in L.A. County
Activists outraged over the shooting death of a 36-year-old double amputee demanded justice and accountability Monday, CBS Los Angeles reports.
The Coalition for Community Control Over the Police and the family of Anthony Lowe Jr. held a news conference to bring awareness to Lowe's death.
"He was loved," his cousin, Ellakenyada Gorum, said as she sobbed. "And it's sad how these police are getting away with killing our African American people. Just getting away with it. He was in a wheelchair. What more could he do? What more could he do?"
Lowe's mother also spoke at the news conference, which was held outside the Huntington Park Police Department.
"They murdered my son, in a wheelchair with no legs," said Dorothy Lowe. "They do need to do something about it."
A spokesperson for the family said both of Lowe's legs were amputated at the knees. He was undergoing a mental health crisis when he was shot to death by Huntington Park police Thursday, the spokesperson said.
Police said they got a call that a man was stabbed by another man in a wheelchair. Officers said when they arrived on the scene they found Lowe with a 12-inch butcher knife.
Video taken by a passerby shows Lowe out of his wheelchair, trying to get away from police using his arms to propel himself along the ground.
In a statement, the department said officers tried to taser Lowe twice but to no avail.
Police said Lowe continued to threaten officers with the knife, prompting the fatal shooting.
Lowe's family said he couldn't have been a threat because he was in a wheelchair, and they need more answers from law enforcement.
"You guys knew your lives wasn't in danger," said Gorum. "He's running on his limbs. How cold-hearted could they be?"
Gorum also said the family has heard very little from the department or the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which is assisting in the investigation.
"We want justice for our whole family," said Lowe's sister, Yatoya Toy.
It is unclear if there's any bodycam or dashcam video of the shooting, but a nearby business has given authorities security footage of the shooting, CBS L.A. say. But law enforcement hasn't shared the video.
