Black Man Who Was Riding Bike Shot By Police in LA, Sparking Black Lives Matter Protest

A Black man was killed in a reported altercation with two deputies in southern Los Angeles, sparking more Black Lives Matter protests outside a local police station.

The shooting took place around 3:15 p.m. Monday when the two deputies tried to stop a man, identified as Dijon Kizzee, for a vehicle violation while riding his bike. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Brandon Dean did not tell reporters what the alleged violation was.

Dean said when the deputies went to speak with Kizzee, he jumped off his bike and ran one block up the street with the two deputies giving chase. The officers stopped Kizzee and tried to question him when Kizzee punched one of the officers. Kizzee dropped a bundle of clothes he was carrying at the time and saw a handgun in the bundle. Both officers then pulled their weapons and shot Kizzee multiple times.

One witness, whose name was not released, told Los Angeles NBC-affiliate KNBC Kizzee made no attempt to reach for the gun when he was shot.

“He dropped the towel, put his hands in the air,” the witness told KNBC. “The people were saying, ‘Don’t shoot.’ He didn’t have no gun in his hands because when he dropped the towel he put his hands up.”

Videos have since been posted online of the two officers pursuing Kizzee and its aftermath, but not of the shooting itself. Neither officer was wearing a bodycam at the time, either, forcing investigators to ask for traffic and surveillance footage that recorded the shooting.

Los Angeles resident Arlander Givens told the Los Angeles Times it’s another example of why he and the Black community are demanding change.

“We aren’t talking about some gang member,” Givens said. “We’re talking about the police. And that’s bad. I’ve got nothing to hide, I’ve got no reason to run, but when I see the police over my shoulder, I worry.”

Hundreds of protesters gathered near where Kizzee was shot a few hours after and marched on the sheriff’s station in southern Los Angeles. Reports say protesters vandalized some areas as they marched on the station, but the march and subsequent protests remained peaceful.

Chants by the protesters included “say his name,” “no justice, no peace” and “Black lives matter” as the protests continued well past 12 a.m. Tuesday.

The protest died down peacefully as the crowd dissipated, but it is expected to resume later Tuesday with a larger crowd and members of Kizzee’s family in attendance.