*Because of simmering tensions in South Los Angeles , LAPD reversed itself and released surveillance video of Carnell Snell Jr. just prior to the 18-year-old being shot and killed by police on Saturday.
In the video, a young man in a blue sweatshirt, who police say is Carnell Snell Jr., is seen running through a strip mall and behind parked vehicles holding what appears to be a handgun in his left hand.
The young man then crouches and appears to tuck the handgun into his sweatpants before running away from the camera. Moments later, a police officer is seen running in Snell’s direction.
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck says he and Mayor Eric Garcetti spoke at length about the issue and decided to release the video to correct what the chief described as competing accounts about Saturday’s shooting.
“My huge concern is that the dueling narratives further divide the community,” Beck said.
The tape was taken from a nearby business, and Beck said the recording shows Snell running with a gun in his hand. Many residents have questioned the police account, including whether Snell had a gun.
Here’s more from the LA Times:
The tape’s release comes as the LAPD is trying to quell protests sparked by the shooting of Snell, who was killed on 107th Street. A day later, police fatally shot another man in South L.A.
Beck, along with other law enforcement leaders, has said he generally opposes releasing body camera footage, expressing concerns about violating privacy and possibly interfering with investigations.
But amid growing scrutiny of police shootings, law enforcement agencies are under pressure to release videos of deadly encounters. Last week, officials in San Diego County originally said they would not immediately release video of a fatal shooting by El Cajon police, but they reversed course after days of protests. Police in Charlotte, N.C., released footage of a fatal shooting there amid protests.
The shooting of Snell became the latest local touchstone in the national debate about policing and how officers use force, particularly against African Americans.
Beck told reporters Monday that officers were working near 108th Street and Western Avenue about 1 p.m. when they spotted a light blue Nissan that had paper plates. The plates didn’t match the year of the car, Beck said, causing officers to think it may have been stolen. As the officers watched the vehicle, Snell, sitting in the back seat, looked toward them, then ducked “as if to hide from them,” Beck said.
He said officers started to follow the car, which slowed down. As officers activated their lights and sirens, he said, the car slowed more and Snell got out, “holding his waistband as if he was supporting something.”
Thinking Snell was holding a gun, the officers chased him, Beck said. At some point during the 200- to 300-yard pursuit, the chief said, the officers saw Snell pull out a gun and hold it in his left hand.
They chased him to a driveway in the 1700 block of 107th Street, where Snell turned toward them, Beck said, the gun still in his hand. Police opened fire.
Snell died at the scene.
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