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LOS ANGELES (AP) — The family of a homeless man killed by Los Angeles police on Skid Row sued the city and police department Wednesday, contesting officers’ claim that the man reached for one of their guns and calling it “a classic case of abuse of power and deadly force.”
The lawsuit filed by the family of Charly Keunang, a native of Cameroon, seeks $20 million and also names police Chief Charlie Beck and the three officers who fired the six bullets that hit Keunang, including two to the chest.
It claims wrongful death and negligence.
The March 1 death of the 43-year-old Keunang was captured on video by a bystander and has been viewed millions of times online. The killing prompted protests and drew comparisons with the death of black men in other officer-involved shootings across the U.S.
Attorney Joshua Piovia-Scott, who represents Keunang’s parents and sister in the lawsuit, said the legal action seeks “justice for Charly and his family and the rest of the victims of this epidemic of police killings.”
“No one should have to endure the pain of watching a loved one unnecessarily and unlawfully killed by the LAPD on a video posted on Facebook,” Piovia-Scott said, adding that he believes Keunang’s race played a central role in his death.
He said the officers involved in the shooting, including one who is black, showed a shocking disregard for human life.
