LAPD officers fire rubber bullets to disperse a crowd that gathered for a second day to protest the deadly shooting of a day laborer. (KTLA-TV) |
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WESTLAKE (KTLA) -- The L.A.Police Commission ruled Tuesday that an officer involved in the fatal shooting of a Guatemalan day laborer acted lawfully.
Westlake community leaders called for peace when the findings of the investigation were released, fearing possible violence. As a precaution LAPD officials dispatched a large number of officers to the area before the announcement.
But there was only a small, peaceful protest at MacArthur Park Tuesday night. Protesters held up signs and chanted, denouncing what they called police brutality and racism.
The shooting happened six months ago, but outrage remains strong in the immigrant community.
Representatives of the immigrant community gathered outside LAPD headquarters in downtown Los Angeles at 6 a.m. Tuesday, hours before the findings were released.
They said they will not accept anything less than criminal charges against the officer involved.
"Justice for us means that the person who killed Manual Jamines will go to prison," Ron Gochez, of the Southern California Immigration Coalition, told KTLA.
"We're calling on District Attorney Cooley to press criminal charges for murder."
"It's a long fight, and we have not forgotten about it," Gochez said. "The truth is the community has a right to protest. We're calling not for violence, but for community resistance."
The shooting happened near 6th Street and Union Avenue on Sept. 5 of last year.
Four police officers on bicycles were responding to reports of a man with a knife threatening violence.
The officers confronted 37-year-old Manuel Jamines, a day laborer from Guatemala.
Police say they ordered Jamines to put the knife down, but he refused. Officers feared for their safety and opened fire, killing Jamines.
For days after the shooting, there was outrage and protests from the immigrant community. At times, those protests turned violent, with people shouting at LAPD officers and throwing rocks at them, and officers responding with rounds of tear gas.
Protesters claimed Jamines was unarmed and was killed for no reason. A bloody knife was found at the scene, police said.
There were dozens of arrests and some minor injuries, but ultimately, LAPD top brass vowed to thoroughly investigate the shooting.
The officer who fatally shot Jamines had reportedly been involved in two previous shootings while on duty.
Officer Frank Hernandez shot a female robbery victim in 1999 when the woman allegedly pointed a handgun at Hernandez and his partner, refusing orders to drop the weapon, KTLA partner, The Los Angeles Times reported. Her injury was not life-threatening.
And in 2008, Hernandez shot an 18-year-old assault suspect who tried to flee, then pointed a gun at Hernandez and another officer, according to the Times. Hernandez shot the man once, wounding him.
Westlake community leaders called for peace when the findings of the investigation were released, fearing possible violence. As a precaution LAPD officials dispatched a large number of officers to the area before the announcement.
But there was only a small, peaceful protest at MacArthur Park Tuesday night. Protesters held up signs and chanted, denouncing what they called police brutality and racism.
The shooting happened six months ago, but outrage remains strong in the immigrant community.
Representatives of the immigrant community gathered outside LAPD headquarters in downtown Los Angeles at 6 a.m. Tuesday, hours before the findings were released.
They said they will not accept anything less than criminal charges against the officer involved.
"Justice for us means that the person who killed Manual Jamines will go to prison," Ron Gochez, of the Southern California Immigration Coalition, told KTLA.
"We're calling on District Attorney Cooley to press criminal charges for murder."
"It's a long fight, and we have not forgotten about it," Gochez said. "The truth is the community has a right to protest. We're calling not for violence, but for community resistance."
The shooting happened near 6th Street and Union Avenue on Sept. 5 of last year.
Four police officers on bicycles were responding to reports of a man with a knife threatening violence.
The officers confronted 37-year-old Manuel Jamines, a day laborer from Guatemala.
Police say they ordered Jamines to put the knife down, but he refused. Officers feared for their safety and opened fire, killing Jamines.
For days after the shooting, there was outrage and protests from the immigrant community. At times, those protests turned violent, with people shouting at LAPD officers and throwing rocks at them, and officers responding with rounds of tear gas.
Protesters claimed Jamines was unarmed and was killed for no reason. A bloody knife was found at the scene, police said.
There were dozens of arrests and some minor injuries, but ultimately, LAPD top brass vowed to thoroughly investigate the shooting.
The officer who fatally shot Jamines had reportedly been involved in two previous shootings while on duty.
Officer Frank Hernandez shot a female robbery victim in 1999 when the woman allegedly pointed a handgun at Hernandez and his partner, refusing orders to drop the weapon, KTLA partner, The Los Angeles Times reported. Her injury was not life-threatening.
And in 2008, Hernandez shot an 18-year-old assault suspect who tried to flee, then pointed a gun at Hernandez and another officer, according to the Times. Hernandez shot the man once, wounding him.
