LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles police chief said Wednesday he is concerned about two recent fatal police shootings, including one in which officers failed to call for a specially trained mental health team during an interaction with a man in crisis.
Chief Michel Moore said Wednesday that he is “deeply concerned” by the deaths of those men, as well as a third, over two days — two fatally shot by officers and one who went into cardiac arrest hours after police used a stun gun during a struggle.
The Los Angeles County coroner’s office is still investigating the cases of Keenan Anderson, the cardiac arrest patient who is related to a Black Lives Matter co-founder, and Oscar Sanchez. The office has not yet ruled on the cause and manner of their deaths. Both died on Jan. 3.
Takar Smith’s death was ruled a homicide by gunshot wounds, which is standard procedure following fatal police shootings. His wife had sought help from police for a restraining order violation on Jan. 2 and warned the LAPD of her husband’s mental health condition.
The shootings occurred amid clamor for nationwide law enforcement reform — particularly when officers interact with people who have mental illnesses — and increased scrutiny on fatal police shootings.
Smith, 45, was fatally shot after raising a 10-inch (25-centimeter) butcher-style knife above his head after officers used a stun gun and pepper spray. The LAPD said Officer Joseph Zizzo and Officer Nicolas Alejandre opened fire.
Smith’s killing has already prompted Moore to order additional training for officers. The LAPD on Wednesday released body-worn video footage of the three instances, well ahead of the typical 45-day deadline. By department policy, officers involved in fatal shootings are taken out of the field for at least two weeks.
Smith’s wife initially sought help from officers at a nearby police station. She then told a dispatcher that her husband had been diagnosed with schizophrenia but had not been taking his medication and would likely fight anyone who intervened.
“He’s not in his right mind,” she told the dispatcher.
A police officer at the scene summoned additional officers and a supervisor. However, none of the department’s specialized mental health teams, which are paired with clinicians, were called to his wife’s apartment after her initial report or during the roughly 15-minute interaction with police, during which Moore said Smith showed signs of mental illness.
The officers initially attempted to de-escalate the situation but pulled out their weapons — including a stun gun and a less-lethal projectile launcher — after Smith brandished a chair, body-worn camera footage shows. The officers later warned him they would “be lethal” when he went into the unit’s kitchen despite their commands.
Increasingly agitated and incoherent, Smith grabbed a knife from the kitchen counter, the footage shows.