Protests erupt in South LA after man accused of punching deputy is shot and killed by deputies
LOS ANGELES - A community is outraged and friends, family, and activists are demanding answers after deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department shot and killed a 29-year-old man in the Westmont neighborhood of South Los Angeles.
The shooting prompted protests in the area on Monday and Tuesday nights.
On Monday, a man who was riding a bike was involved in what became a deadly confrontation with deputies in the around 3:15 p.m. near West 109th Place and South Budlong Avenue.
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Prior to the shooting, deputies said they attempted to stop him for a bicycle violation.
Once the bicyclist was stopped by deputies, they said he took off running.
Cellphone video taken from witnesses appears to show him running as deputies followed him.
The man involved in the altercation was identified by family as 29-year-old Dijon Kizzee who is believed to have been a resident of the Westmont neighborhood.
Deputies said that once they caught up with Kizzee, one of them was punched in the face. The suspect had been carrying clothes in his hand and during the confrontation, the suspect dropped the clothes and deputies say they saw a gun and opened fire.
Kizzee was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.
"Immediately after making contact with our suspect, our suspect was holding some item of clothing in his hands, punched one of the officers in the face, and then dropped the items in his hands. The deputies noticed that inside the clothing items that he dropped was a black semi-automatic handgun, at which time, a deputy-involved shooting occurred," LASD Lt. Brandon Dean said during a press conference Monday.
Shortly after the deadly incident, Black Lives Matter Los Angeles sent out a tweet, saying deputies "left his body facedown in the dirt," and called for supporters to get to the scene as quickly as possible.
RELATED: Black Lives Matter LA sends a call to action tweet after deputies fatally shoot man
In addition, the Coalition for Community Control Over the Police organized a demonstration. Protesters gathered at 5 p.m. Monday near the scene and marched to the South Los Angeles Sheriff's Station about five blocks away. They protested outside the station overnight as deputies stood guard.
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Activists demanded that the deputies involved in the shooting be arrested and prosecuted.
The deputies who were involved in the shooting were removed from the field pending a review, as is standard procedure, the sheriff's department announced Tuesday night.
The sheriff’s department will conduct an internal investigation to determine if the shooting was within policy.
The incident will also be investigated by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and the California Office of the Inspector General.
CNS contributed to this report.