he controversial police shooting of Charly “Africa” Keunang on skid row was watched by millions around the world when a bystander posted video online.
But for almost three years, the Los Angeles Police Department has kept crucial recordings captured by the officers under wraps.
Those body camera videos, obtained by The Times, offer a unique look at the dramatic moments leading up to the March 2015 killing including how police officers treated Keunang and the violent struggle with him before shots were fired.
Keunang’s family has cited the footage in court documents as proof that police were too aggressive and provoked the shooting. The LAPD, prosecutors and the city’s Police Commission have said the recordings and other evidence show the officers were justified in shooting Keunang after he grabbed an officer’s gun.
The graphic recordings show how quickly the encounter escalated. A rookie officer can be heard shouting “he has my gun,” but it is difficult to see whether Keunang grabs the holstered weapon.
On Monday, hours after The Times published the recordings, the LAPD provided two enhanced images from the footage that it said showed Keunang’s hand and fingers on the officer’s gun. Those images, Chief Charlie Beck said, were “extremely important” in his analysis of the deadly encounter.
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