Just seconds after Los Angeles police officers stated Jermaine Petit, a Black man, was unarmed, officers still shot him three times in the back. Officers claimed that the metal car part he was carrying was a “non-functioning firearm,” according to the Independent.
Body cam footage released last week shows LAPD officers approaching Petit on July 18 after responding to a 911 call that stated that a man in Leimert Park, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, was seen brandishing a “semi-automatic weapon,” according to the Independent.
As officers chased Petit down the street, one of the officers can be heard saying, “It’s not a gun bro.” Despite that, officers continue to chase Petit and order him to take his hands out of his pocket. When the officers started to open fire, Petit started to run and was shot three times in the back.
While he lays face down on the ground, Los Angeles officers continue yelling orders at him and aim their weapons toward him. One officer can be heard saying, “We’re going to have to roll him over and handcuff him... someone needs to secure the gun.”
Petit was taken to the hospital where he stayed for several days, according to a GoFundme post by his daughter, Ashlyn Petit.
After the shooting, an LAPD spokesman claimed in a press conference that Petit was carrying a weapon, according to the Los Angeles Times. Later, the LAPD retracted the statement and said Petit had a “black metal latch actuator,” not a firearm or “weapon.”
More from the Independent:
The officers involved in the shooting have been identified as Sergeant Brett Hayhoe and Officer Daryl Glover Jr…
LAPD captain Kelly Muniz said in the video released on Thursday that the investigation into the officer-involved shooting was still in its preliminary stage and could take up to a year to complete.
Ms Muniz said Mr Petit was arrested for two outstanding felony warrants of obstructing an officer and assault with a deadly weapon on an officer.
The LAPD has recommended charging Mr Petit with two counts of brandishing a replica firearm, Ms Muniz said.
Officer Glover, one of the officers involved in the shooting, is the son of the Vice President of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, according to Knock-LA.com. The league is a union that defends officers in the LAPD.
The case is still under review.
The biggest question left to be answered is why did LAPD officers still shoot Petit even though one of the officers can be heard saying, “It’s not a gun bro”?