LA deputies shoot, kill Black man stopped for bicycle violation who dropped gun, officials say

SOUTH LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies shot a Black man Monday after a handgun fell from his belongings during a scuffle, and both racial justice activists and the man’s family are demanding the names of the law enforcement personnel involved be released publicly.

Dijon Kizzee, 29, of Lancaster, California, was shot and killed by deputies at around 3:15 p.m. after they attempted to stop him for an unspecified code violation while he rode his bicycle in the South Los Angeles neighborhood of Westmont, KCAL reported.

Sheriff’s Lt. Brandon Dean told the Los Angeles Times that two deputies observed the man later identified as Kizzee riding his bicycle in violation of vehicle codes. Per his account, deputies attempted to contact Kizzee, who dropped the bicycle and fled on foot. When deputies again tried to make contact, they said Kizzee punched one of them in the face, then dropped a bundle of clothing he had been carrying. The deputies spotted a black, semiautomatic handgun in the dropped bundle and opened fire.

Sheriff’s officials confirmed a handgun was located at the scene, but Dean told the Times he does not know how many times Kizzee was shot.

Community activist Najee Ali told the newspaper that Kizzee was shot in the head and that his family plans to pursue an independent autopsy.

“The deputies essentially executed a man riding his bicycle. They’ll say he had a gun, but what they won’t say was that he was not armed with the gun. He did not point the gun. ... There was no reason for deputies to shoot a running man,” Ali said.

No deputy injuries were reported, and cellphone video from the scene appeared to show deputies rendering medical aid to Kizzee, who died at the scene, KCAL reported.

The shooting prompted Black Lives Matter demonstrators to swarm the crime scene and then march to the South Los Angeles Sheriff’s Station, where they remained until early Tuesday morning without violence or arrests, the TV station reported.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson, president of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable, questioned Tuesday why L.A. County Sheriff’s deputies are not equipped with body cameras.

“All we have to go on this latest shooting is one thing: their version of it. We’re in the dark. We don’t know anything,” Hutchinson told the Times.

Cox Media Group