Three years ago, Anthony Lowe lost his legs to amputation after a run in with police only to have another run in with the cops which cost him his life. Conflicting accounts dispute whether Lowe was truly a threat to the police. Now, the real decision makers must come to that conclusion.
A Los Angeles judge ruled March 21 that Officers Paul Munoz and Joshua Volasgis are to face a jury in connection to the January 2023 incident. The two responded to a report of a stabbing by a suspect in a wheelchair. Once the cops identified Lowe, 36, as their guy, authorities claimed he wielded a 12-inch butcher knife in their direction. Family members say his legs were amputated after a 2022 altercation with Texas police, per ABC 7.
In this encounter, Lowe was Tased twice but to no effect until ultimately, he was shot 11 times in his upper torso. Lowe was pronounced dead at the scene, leaving behind a teen son and daughter, per The Los Angeles Times.
However, the chain of events wasn’t that simple, according to a lawsuit his family brought against the police as well as a ruling from a superior court judge.
The suit claims Lowe “moved away” from the officers as they approached him. The suit also says one officer grabbed Lowe’s wheelchair and dumped him onto the sidewalk. At that point, a knife fell, landing by him, wrote Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Virginia Keeny.
Keeny also wrote in his ruling that Lowe retrieved the knife and “moved away” from the officers. That moment is when the Tasers deployed, per The Sacramento Bee.
Additionally, bystander video footage of the incident shows Lowe out of his wheelchair, attempting to waddle down the sidewalk away from the cops. The video cuts off as the shots ring out.
Judge Keeny sided with the family in his March 21 ruling, arguing the incident raised the question of whether the use of lethal force was necessary, the report says.
“The video reflects that officers shot Lowe within seconds of arriving on the scene of the incident, and it shows no measured attempt at de-escalation,” his ruling reads. “The video does not clearly show Lowe threatened the Officers with a knife.”
After the incident, the officers were placed on leave but had since returned to full duty, the reports say. Now, the officers are headed to a civil trial in January 2026.