Two southern California law enforcement officers fatally shot an African American bicyclist Monday, prompting street protests and investigations into circumstances surrounding the incident.
A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson said two deputies shot the man, who allegedly scuffled with them and punched one in the face after they tried to stop him for unlawfully riding a bicycle.
The spokesperson said the man dropped his bike and ran, with deputies in pursuit. During the altercation, the department said the officers noticed a handgun in a bundle of clothing that had been dropped, at which point they fatally shot him.
The sheriff’s department said it could not immediately identify the cyclist, but family members at the scene said he was 29-year-old Dijon Kizzee.
Sheriff’s Lt. Brandon Dean told reporters it was unclear if he was reaching for the gun when he was shot.
In a media interview, Arlander Givens, a 68-year-old who lives in the community where the shooting took place, questioned why deputies shot Kizzee if his gun was on the ground.
“If he reached down to grab it, that’s different,” Givens told the Los Angeles Times. “But if it’s on the ground, why shoot? That means he was unarmed.”
Protesters gathered at the scene and demanded answers. More than 100 people marched to a sheriff’s station. The department said in a tweet that several independent investigations are underway.
The fatal shooting occurred a day before President Donald Trump’s scheduled visit to Kenosha, Wisconsin, where police shot Jacob Blake in the back seven times in front of his young children in late August.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said Trump is not welcome in Kenosha, where demonstrations have turned violent as armed white vigilantes clashed with protesters, resulting in the shooting deaths of two people.