US: Los Angeles police release video in fatal shooting

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) – Police in California released security camera footage Tuesday that appears to show a man with a handgun fleeing from officers before being killed by police.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) uploaded the footage to the popular video sharing service YouTube.

It shows a man in gray sweat pants and a purple hooded sweatshirt running through a strip mall parking lot before taking cover behind a sports utility vehicle with what appears to be handgun in his left hand.

He then places his hand with the apparent gun back in his sweatpants before running off camera as an officer gives chase.

Police Chief Charlie Beck said Monday that Darnell Snell, 18, had a fully loaded semiautomatic handgun in his hand when he turned toward officers prompting them to open fire at the conclusion of the fatal foot chase.

The LAPD previously said a handgun was recovered from the scene but did not say whether Snelll held it at the time of the shooting.

Beck is likely to address the video during a previously scheduled police commission meeting later Tuesday.

The fatal shooting took place after police attempted to pull over a vehicle with paper license plates in Los Angeles, suspecting that it may have been stolen. The driver refused to stop and the vehicle’s passengers, including Snell, bailed out, leading to the foot chase.

Snell’s death has sparked angry protests in South Los Angeles where residents have decried the police-involved shooting.

The Black Lives Matter movement is planning to protest a police commission meeting Tuesday.