Posted on 05/12/2008 9:21:31 AM PDT by Smogger
INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Inglewood police killed one man and wounded another when they opened fire on a vehicle, saying they believed the occupants had shot at them -- although it turned out that the men were unarmed and their car was never struck with bullets.
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, said 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 got into 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 strike their patrol vehicle and reported hearing gunshots that they thought came 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.
A second occupant -- the driver, the Los Angeles Times reported -- was taken to an area hospital with a gunshot wound to his leg. He was in stable condition and expected to survive, Ramirez said.
The third person in the car was unharmed, Ramirez said.
Neither officer was hurt. Their patrol car had not been hit by gunfire, Sgt. Dennis Brown told The Times.
No weapons were recovered and no one was immediately charged with a crime, the newspaper reported.
Vidal Garcia, a night manager at Rally's -- about 30 yards from where the officers opened fire -- 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 only the police taking out their guns, that he and two co-workers ducked as soon as they heard gunfire, and that he heard 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.
The wounded man's brother called for stricter guidelines on circumstances in which 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. Related Articles: Find out more about Shootings, Crime, Gang Violence and Culture and Lifestyle.
"I heard shots so I returned fire. It wasn't until later I realized I was the only one shooting..."
(Almost) Unbelievable.
I must have missed the part of the article where the civilians in the car tried to run one of the officers over.
I try very hard to back the police, and most of the time, they are the good guys. However, when I hear of something like this, it’s really sad. If my son had been the innocent shot and killed, I would probably go insane!
“I fired 6 warning shots into the suspects body”....
If they were Marines in Iraq, the cops would be prosecuted for murder.
That said, these cops should be prosecuted for some homicide realated crime, but the DA will let them skate. Civil trial will find the cops and the city liable.
There's some important fact(s) that were not mentioned in this article.
Boy is Sharpton and Co. going to be busy if they were men of color.
NYC, Philly, and now Inglewood. That man is going to be putting on the miles to get in front of that many cameras.
Cops killing more citizens.
Sounds like they shot up the wrong car.
Uh.. Which would those be? No guns, the police car wasn’t shot. The victims have no criminal record.
No visible weapons, no threatening moves, just open fire and hope for the best.
These cops better be prosecuted...
L
Crenshaw and 85th? Good excuse to let a Stark Industries Jericho off the leash...
“...better to be respected or feared...” “...is it too much to ask to have both?...”
The first thing a cop must do is ascertain who is shooting at him and from where, and then whether it is safe to return fire.
Cops shouldn’t be allowed to carry firearms - only civilians with a carriers permit should be allowed to pack heat.
Once more, the Union guys in blue have demonstrated thier total ineptitude.
I am confident another Judge will let these miscreants off and they will be out in the street again, just like the loosers in New York, gunning more innocent civilians.
Its pathetic.
I used to commute into NYC Penn Station. After 9/11, some of the cops took to toting automatic weapons.
I always tried to stay far away from those cops, because if God forbid there was a terrorist attack, I’m convinced these guys would open up indiscriminately. Call me a cop hater (which would be total BS), but that’s what I thought. Especially seeing the same three or four cops, around 6 p.m. everyday, standing in a group talking amongst themselves, oblivious to everything going on around them. The National Guard volunteers were on the job, walking, observing, etc.
Such as?
Inglewood police killed one man and wounded another when they opened fire on a vehicle, saying they believed the occupants had shot at them -- although it turned out that the men were unarmed and their car was never struck with bullets.
"The gunfight at Rally's Restaurant"
Maybe the cops were a tad edgy 'cause they haven't been on 3:00 a.m. No-Knock Raid in a couple days. Or they missed their donut break that night.
And *some* now say the Earps were (cough) trigger happy at the OK Corral - ha!
(officer 1)Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! (reload)
(officer 2)Dude! What are you shooting at?
(officer 1)Um, I’m not sure, I think that dead guy there shot at me.
(officer 2)Oh? Where’s his gun?
(officer 1)I dunno. But someone shot at me. I think.
(officer 2)Whoa!
(officer 2)Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! (reload)
(officer 1)Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! (reload)
Sound like a clear cut case of murder to me.
It’s Dubya’s fault. (Well, SOMEONE has to say it. Isn’t Dubya to blame for everything that goes wrong in this country?)
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