Today's Date: Wednesday, July 23, 2008

A SHOOTING AND FALLOUT IN THE COMMUNITY

5/12/2008 12:30 PM

irishone

Join Date: March 2008
Posts: 511

A SHOOTING AND FALLOUT IN THE COMMUNITY


Officer-Involved Shooting In Inglewood Angers Community On Mother's Day

INGLEWOOD, Calif. Inglewood police killed one man and wounded another after opening fire on a vehicle, believing mistakenly that its occupants had shot at them, authorities said.

Two officers were in the area of Crenshaw Boulevard and 85th Street at 1:40 a.m. Sunday when they said they heard gunshots coming from the parking lot of a Rally's Restaurant, according to Inglewood police Sgt. Jeff Steinhoff.

"As they looked over, their attention was drawn to a male running away eastbound from the parking lot," Steinhoff said.

The male entered a vehicle, which moved slowly through the parking lot in the 3000 block of Manchester Boulevard, said Inglewood police Sgt. Hector Ramirez.

The officers said they felt something hit their patrol vehicle and reported hearing gunshots which they believed had come from the car, Ramirez said. Both officers then fired multiple shots into the suspects' vehicle, hitting two of its three occupants, he said.

The car stopped directly across from them, he said.

Michael Woods Byoune, 19, of Los Angeles, a passenger in the vehicle, died at the scene, said coroner's Lt. John Kades.

The driver was taken to an area hospital with a gunshot wound to his leg. He is currently listed in stable condition and expected to survive, Ramirez said.

The third person in the car was unharmed, Ramirez said.

Neither officer was hurt. Their car had not been hit by gunfire, Sgt. Dennis Brown told The Times.

No weapons were recovered and no one has been charged with a crime, the newspaper reported.

Vidal Garcia, a night manager at Rally's Restaurant -- which is located about 30 yards from where the officers fired upon the vehicle -- told the newspaper he "heard lots of gunshots" and was surprised police didn't find any weapons "because there were gunshots before the cops even got there."

Another Rally's employee told The Times he saw the police taking out their guns, and he and two co-workers ducked as soon as they heard gunfire. The man then reported hearing screaming after more than 15 shots.

He said recalled hearing someone say, "Oh, I can't breathe" and "I'm not armed," The Times reported.

Some community residents quickly condemned the police for their actions.

"Nobody in the car shot nobody," one man told a local news team. "Police do all the shooting."

"None of us had guns. My friend was actually screaming, 'stop shooting, we don't have any guns,' and they just kept firing," another man told a news crew.

The wounded man's brother called for stricter guidelines on when police can open fire.

"They should have certain rules and guidelines that they go by, as far as, you know, just coming and just shooting without saying anything. I mean, come on now, that's just, that's just, that's ludicrous," Issac Williams told the TV station.

Williams' younger brother was shot in the leg. He and his friends had gone out for hamburgers, the TV station reported.

Byoune's family told reporters he was not a gang member and did not have a criminal record. His mother, Jackie Roberts, 55, said her son had never been to jail and was not involved in violence or gangs.

"Right now it's Mother's Day. Last year on Mother's Day he was there for me. Now's he not here and I won't see him no more," she told The Times.

(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)


1. Crooked cops need to be prosecuted for murder the same as any other thug.
Submitted by: kri
11:26 AM PDT, May 12, 2008

2. The Cops are lieing, they said they heard gunfire and felt the rounds hit the car, since no one fired on them and there car wasn't hit, they are lieing. The Cops kill more people every year then people kill cops. They kill with out restraint and now employ pain compliance with TASERS. TASERS kill people everyday and it has even killed Cops that volunteer to be TASERD. The Cops are the enimy of the people and especialy the blacks
Submitted by: megaflyx
11:17 AM PDT, May 12, 2008

3. I live nearby in Westchester and the divide between the conduct of the Police between our two neighborhoods is absurd. The Inglewood Police department is supposed to be a defender of the community it is tasked with keeping safe, and when they fail to do so, they shouldn't be hiding behind such a sorry excuse such as "this is not the time to call." Clearly it was time for business as usual as the Police gunned down an innocent kid in Inglewood. Simply disgusting.
Submitted by: Andrew
11:08 AM PDT, May 12, 2008

4. I find her reaction and comment to be typical of a certain type of person of a certain type of culture of a certain type of mind frame of a certain type of attitude of a certain type of department and of a certain type of trend in various government agencies throughout LA. Whats new?
Submitted by: DMV
11:05 AM PDT, May 12, 2008

5. Why am i not surprised? Trigger happy lapd what else is new.
Submitted by: Juan
11:00 AM PDT, May 12, 2008

6. I cannot believe things like this are happening. The people that have the jobs to protecting us are abusing that issue and hurting us more. a innocent 19 yr old life was taken. That is truely sad. No one should have a life taken for no reason. May God bless the family's loss.
Submitted by: Christein
10:56 AM PDT, May 12, 2008

7. i can't believe she said that its not a business day. If your a police chief and one of your officers killed an unarmed citizen then you better get your rear and handle the situation, especially right now when racial tensions are extremely high and there is hardly any respect of law enforcement for reasons like this. When your the chief your on call 7 days a week, thats the job. She should be terminated or just resign. I wanted to be a cop, but with all of the politics involved and the fact the majority of the public doesn't respect law enforcement anymore, its just not worth it.
Submitted by: steven
10:39 AM PDT, May 12, 2008

8. And they arrest Dennis Farina? Dad used to say, "If nothing else, California cops are great for starting riots". DENNIS FARINA IS A GOOD GUY!
Submitted by: Hair Trigger
10:33 AM PDT, May 12, 2008

9. Just lovely. The police murder an innocent man and the police chief can't be bothered. It is the "I don't care attitude" of Chief Seabrooks that creates the atmosphere that makes the murder of innocents ok.
Submitted by: chris
10:30 AM PDT, May 12, 2008

10. What does Inglewood Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks mean, it not the time to call? If it was her son, would it be the right time? That's what you get for having a b i itch as police chief. WHEN CONTACTED BY THE MEDIA FOR A RESPONSE TO THE SHOOTING YESTERDAY, THE CHIEF STATED, "NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO CALL."
IS THIS INSTITUTIONAL ARROGANCE OR WHAT? SINCE WHEN IS THE CHIEF ALLOWED TIME OFF DURING
A CRISIS SITUATION LIKE THIS?
Submitted by: Big Papi
10:27 AM PDT, May 12, 2008


Post reply

You Spoke. We Listened. The NEW PoliceMag.com

Hot Products
  • July 2008 - Product Patrol

    Micro-CAM
    Moducom

    In celebration of its 30th anniversary, Moducom introduces its newest product, the Micro-CAM, a low-cost way to add additional operator positions using very little desk space. The Micro-Cam works in conjunction with Moducom's UltraCom, an E911/Radio Dispatch Console System with no software maintenance fees and free software upgrades.

    View More

  • July 2008 - Product Patrol

    Handle Bars for Kawasaki Motorcycle
    MC Enterprises

    MC Enterprises, manufacturer of the successful line of protective bars for the Honda ST1300PA police bike, is expanding its presence in the police bike aftermarket by introducing its new line of protective bars for Kawasaki’s new Concours 14.

    View More

e-News Sign-up

PoliceMag.com offers a selection of FREE e-newsletters. Get news and information about topics important to you.

  • OnTarget - Sent to you weekly. General law enforcement news.
  • Firearms & Tactics - Sent to you every other week. Training tips and news on the gun market.
  • Patrol Tactics - Sent to you weekly. Timely information for street cops.
  • Recruit - Sent to you monthly. Advice for the aspiring officer.
  • SWAT - Sent to you weekly. Techniques for tactical team members and leaders.
  • Trainers and Training - Sent to you monthly. Tips, techniques, and advice to help you improve your training and stretch your training dollar.

COPYRIGHT © 2008 POLICE Magazine. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.