Los Angeles (AFP) - Los Angeles police officers shot dead a homeless man in an incident that was caught on video and posted online, local media reported.
The graphic video, which was posted on Facebook, shows a violent altercation between a man and several officers in LA's Skid Row area near downtown.
The circumstances around the shooting were not immediately clear but the video appears to show a man flailing at officers as they try to subdue him.
“Drop the gun,” officers shout several times with their own guns drawn. About five shots can be heard on the video.
Witnesses believed the man had been killed by police, but CBS reported he was taken to a hospital by paramedics. The Los Angeles Times later reported he was pronounced dead at the hospital shortly after he arrived.
An area resident, who identified himself as Booker T. Washington, said police had come by repeatedly to ask Africa to take down his tent. People are allowed to sleep on the streets from 9 p.m to 6 a.m., but they are supposed to remove their tents in the daytime, under a court agreement.
Another resident also said that police had asked Africa multiple times to dismantle his tent, in accordance to a court ruling that allows folks to sleep on Skid Row at night as long as they take down their tents during the day.
LAPD spokesman Sgt. Barry Montgomery said the officers were responding to a robbery call on the 500 block of San Pedro Street. No officers were hurt. The name of the victim has not been released. There will be an investigation to determine if the use of force was properly deployed.
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