Police shooting of black cyclist Dijon Kizzee for 'vehicle violation' sparks Los Angeles protest
A 29-year-old black man was fatally shot by police in Los Angeles after he was stopped by officers during a traffic stop.
Dijon Kizzee ran after being stopped while riding a bike in South Los Angeles on Monday.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement that the 29-year-old punched an officer and dropped a bundle that included a gun.
Police claim he then “made a motion” towards the bundle. Mr Kizzee's family’s lawyer has claimed he was shot more than 20 times.
Lieutenant Brandon Dean was unable to confirm how many times Mr Kizzee was shot.
"We still have to conduct our interviews of the investigating officers to see exactly what happened and transpired during the deputy-involved-shooting," he said.
He added: "But if this individual was reaching for a semi-automatic handgun, I would suggest that, you know, that’s probably why deadly force was important."
The US authorities said Mr Kizzee was caught violating an unspecified vehicle code while riding a bike down 110th Street and Budlong Avenue.
The LA Black Lives Matter branch said on Twitter that the "Los Angeles County Sheffifs killed a black man" and had "left his body facedown in the dirt".
"We need all hands on deck. Please get here ASAP!" said the campaigners on social media.
A neighbour who said she witnessed the scuffle and the shooting told Reuters that she did not see Mr Kizzee throw a punch, did not see a gun, and claimed that he “wasn’t a threat”.
People protesting against police brutality marched on Tuesday evening from the shooting scene in the Westmont neighbourhood to a sheriff’s precinct station.
“You don’t kill any race but us, and it don’t make any sense,” Fletcher Fair, Mr Kizzee’s aunt, told reporters.
It comes amid renewed demonstrations on the issue since the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
US President Donald Trump visited the city on Tuesday and blamed “domestic terror” for the violence which he declared “anti-American”, making no reference to the underlying cause of the demonstrations or to Mr Blake.
Soon after arriving in the city, a visit made over the objections of state and local leaders, Mr Trump toured the burnt remains of a block besieged by violence and fire.
With the scent of smoke still in the air, he spoke to the owners of a century-old store that had been destroyed and continued to link the violence to the Democrats, blaming those in charge of Kenosha and Wisconsin while raising apocalyptic warnings if their party should capture the White House.
Additional reporting by Associated Press.
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