1. “LAPD officers fatal shooting incident Pico-Union”
2. “No charges against officers in Pico-Union shooting case”.
By Trend News Line 2024-02-10 01:42:17.
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The California Department of Justice Clears LAPD Officers in Fatal Shooting
The California Department of Justice has announced that it will not pursue criminal charges against two Los Angeles police Department (LAPD) officers involved in a fatal shooting that sparked controversy due to discrepancies in the initial police report. The shooting took place on July 26, 2021, when officers responded to a call from an off-duty officer regarding a bleeding man carrying a blade in the Pico-Union area.
According to a report released by the state Department of Justice, the officers shot Samuel Soto, 53, after he was allegedly armed with a knife. However, body-camera footage later revealed that Soto had dropped the knife before being shot again by other officers while unarmed. The LAPD Chief, Michel Moore, initially provided a simplified version of events, stating that Soto was armed with a knife when shot and taken into custody.
After a thorough investigation, the California Department of Justice concluded that criminal charges were not appropriate in this case. However, they acknowledged the importance of learning from this incident. California law requires the DOJ to investigate incidents in which unarmed civilians are killed by law enforcement.
The investigation, which included interviews with officers and witnesses, as well as a review of body-camera footage, revealed that the situation was already dangerous and was further intensified by the arrival of backup officers and a low-flying police helicopter, which hindered communication.
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Officer David Voci, one of the responding backup officers, fired the final shots that hit Soto. In the body-camera footage, one of the first responding officers can be heard stating that Soto was no longer armed with a knife. Soto was instead holding a phone when he took two steps towards Voci, who then shot him. Voci immediately asked his colleagues if Soto still had the knife, to which one officer responded that the knife was elsewhere.
Soto was hospitalized immediately after the shooting and succumbed to his wounds months later. The DOJ report concluded that Officer Voci reasonably, albeit mistakenly, believed that Soto was armed and posed a threat to his life. The report also highlighted the disruptive role played by the low-flying helicopter, which made communication difficult and the scene more chaotic.
Moving forward, the DOJ recommended that the LAPD evaluate officers’ adherence to departmental policies on Tasers and collaborate with the Los Angeles Fire Department to improve dispatch communication. The DOJ also found insufficient evidence to bring charges against Officer Eduardo Martinez, who shot Soto when he ran towards him with a knife before backup arrived.
The LAPD has not yet commented on the California DOJ’s findings..
1. “No charges LAPD officers fatally shot man in Pico-Union”
2. “LAPD officers not charged in fatal shooting Pico-Union 2021”.
