“Two Los Angeles police officers will not face criminal charges after they fatally shot a 25-year-old mentally ill black man in 2014, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Los Angeles Police
Department Officers Sharlton Wampler and Antonio Villegas feared for their
lives when they approached Ezell Ford on Aug. 11, which led them to open fire
in self-defense, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's
office. . . .
Investigators said the
officers approached Ford — who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and
schizophrenia — after they noticed him walking from a known gang area. They
wanted to speak with Ford, but he began walking away, and the officers believed
he was trying to get rid of illegal substances.
Wampler then placed his
hands on Ford's shoulder, which sparked a physical confrontation. Ford spun
around and grabbed the officer by the waist, knocking both men to the ground,
prosecutors said.
The evidence indicates
that Ford was on top of Wampler, struggling to obtain Wampler's primary service
weapon and posing an immediate threat to his
safety and his partner's safety," prosecutors said.
Wampler managed to retrieve his
backup weapon to shoot Ford once in the back, prosecutors said. They added that
Officer Villegas fired two additional shots at Ford.
"The evidence indicates that Ford was on top of Wampler, struggling to obtain Wampler's primary service weapon and posing an immediate threat to his safety and his partner's safety," prosecutors said.
[It is always easier to justify
self-defense when the suspect has a deadly weapon or could possibly get the
officer’s weapon. Thus, anytime an officer
and suspect are scuffling, the officer’s weapon could be gotten by the
suspect. This might be enough to justify
the shooting. I don’t think many
suspects who are scuffling or grappling with the officer realize that this may
justify the officer or some other officer in shooting the suspect. However, in this case it appears that the
suspect was clearly trying to get the officer’s gun. If this was the case, the officer was
probably justified in the shooting.”
“In June 2015, the Los Angeles
Police Commission found that the officers violated the department's policy when
they wrongfully stopped Ford, which led to Wampler and Ford wrestling over his
gun.” [Although the stop was improper this has no impact on the validity of the
shooting.
