By Kate Mather
Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES — The family of a woman fatally shot by Los Angeles police last year released video of the deadly encounter Wednesday as they called for prosecutors to criminally charge the officers who opened fire.
The events leading up to the Sept. 27 shooting began when two LAPD officers went to East 22nd and South San Pedro streets near downtown Los Angeles, where a woman with a knife had been reported, police said.
The video, taken from a nearby security camera, shows officers getting out of their police SUV and drawing their guns as a woman identified as Norma Guzman walks down the sidewalk. One officer stands behind a parked car and points his gun at Guzman, who continues to walk toward him.
When Guzman reaches the other side of the car, police fire. Guzman collapses on the sidewalk.
The shooting happened about 10 seconds after the first officer exited the car, according to the time-stamped footage, which had no sound.
According to the LAPD, when the officers arrived, they spotted Guzman walking toward them with the knife. One officer “repeatedly ordered her to drop the knife,” but she kept moving toward them, prompting the officers to open fire, police said.
On Wednesday, flanked by Guzman’s mother and brothers, attorney Arnoldo Casillas questioned why the officers didn’t use less-lethal devices like a Taser before firing their guns.
“Where’s the Taser? Where’s the pepper spray? Take a step back. Show some reverence for human life,” he said. “There’s no way that can be justified.”
Guzman’s son and mother filed a federal lawsuit last fall, alleging that the officers used excessive force. Guzman, who suffered from mental illness, “posed no danger or threat” to the officers or others before she was shot, the lawsuit said.
“There was no reasonable basis for them to shoot her,” the lawsuit said.
Guzman died at a hospital. Police said they found an 8-inch knife at the scene.
The LAPD previously identified the officers as Samuel Briggs and Antonio McNeely.
Both officers were wearing body cameras. On the day of the shooting, the LAPD said investigators were also looking at video taken from a nearby security camera.
Guzman was one of 36 people shot by on-duty LAPD officers last year.
Copyright 2016 the Los Angeles Times