Shooting of Anthony Weber

Last updated
Shooting of Anthony Weber
DateFebruary 4, 2018
Location Westmont, California
TypeShooting

On February 4, 2018, Anthony Weber, a 16-year-old African-American male, was fatally shot by deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in Westmont, California. [1] Deputies came to the scene because they received a 911 call. The caller claimed someone had pointed a gun at him. [1] The deputies claimed that Weber reached into his waistband so they shot him over ten times. [1] Deputies did not find a gun on Weber. [1] [2]

Contents

Aftermath

Days after the shooting amid rising tension in the community, a meeting was called between the Sheriff's department and the community. [3] At the meeting, tensions were high between members of the community and law enforcement. [4] [3] Members of the Weber family demanded to see the gun. [3] John Weber, Anthony's older brother, asked Captain Chris Bergner if the family and community were "due something?" Bergner replied: "absolutely not." [3] The meeting ended in jeers after the response. The next day, Bergner claimed he could not hear the question and thought the question was "Don't you think we are doomed?" Xavier Thompson, a member of an oversight commission, responded: "We will not settle for spin." [3] Los Angeles County announced a settlement with Weber's family for $3.75 million in May 2019. [5] [6]

Reaction

Family

Weber's family were upset as his body remained in the street uncovered for hours after the shooting. [2] Chris Bergner from the Sheriff's department, claimed that Weber was "a local gang member in the area," but Weber's father has denied that allegation. [7] The Weber family also denied the allegation that Weber was armed with a gun. [8]

Members of the family and local activists have demanded an independent investigation by the California Attorney General's office. Najee Ali, speaking for the Weber family, said "Last night's sheriff's meeting was outrageous and a waste of time." [9] She went on: "The family, as well as many civil rights leaders, feel no trust in the Sheriff's Department to investigate their own. That's why today the family, along with civil rights leaders, are calling upon California's Attorney General Javier Becerra to investigate." [9]

Protests

After the shooting, activists in Los Angeles protested the shooting of Weber. [10] Activists from Black Lives Matter have protested Weber's death. [11] [7] During 2018 NBA All-Star Game weekend, activists continued to protest Weber's death. [12] [13]

Sheriff's department

The day after the shooting, the Sheriff's department had a press conference at the Hall of Justice. The Sheriff's department played the 911 call that brought deputies to the scene. [14] Bergner defended the actions of the deputies involved in the shooting and characterized Weber as a gang member. [14] The Sheriff's department claims the gun may have been taken. [15]

A week after the shooting, Jim McDonnell acknowledged the possibility that Weber was not armed when he was shot. [9]

Related Research Articles

Pasadena Police Department (California) Police force in California (USA)

The Pasadena Police Department is the police department serving Pasadena, California. The headquarters of the Pasadena Police Department is located at 207 North Garfield Avenue in Pasadena, just a block from the Pasadena City Hall and Paseo Colorado. The department employs 241 sworn officers, 13 reserve officers, and 126 civilian employees. The police chief is John Perez, who spent his entire career with the department.

Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department Law enforcement agency in California, United States

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD), officially the County of Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, is the United States' largest sheriff's department,and the third largest local police agency with approximately 18,000 employees,9,915 sworn deputies and 9,244 unsworn members. The department's three main responsibilities entail providing patrol services for the 153 unincorporated communities of Los Angeles County, California and 42 cities, providing courthouse security for the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, and the housing and transportation of inmates within the county jail system. LASD also contracts with the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Metrolink, provides law enforcement services to ten community colleges, patrols county parks, golf courses, special event venues, lakes, hospitals, and county facilities. Additionally, LASD provides services, such as crime laboratories, homicide investigations, and academy training, to smaller law enforcement agencies within the county.

The Anaheim police shootings and protests of July 2012 involve two fatal shootings by police officers in Anaheim, California, and subsequent public protests. On July 21, Manuel Diaz was shot and killed by Anaheim Police officer Nick Bennallack after he ran from the officers. Protests ensued after the shooting. On July 22, Joel Acevedo was shot and killed by Anaheim police in an alleged exchange of gunfire, making the seventh fatal officer-involved shooting in Anaheim in twelve months. Both shootings were ruled justified by the Orange County District Attorney's Office, but a federal jury later ruled Officer Bennallack guilty of excessive force.

Shooting of Andy Lopez 2013 fatal shooting of 13-year old boy in Santa Rosa, California

The fatal shooting of Andy Lopez by Sonoma County sheriff's deputy Erick Gelhaus took place on October 22, 2013, in Santa Rosa, California. 13-year-old Lopez was walking through a vacant lot and carrying an airsoft gun that was designed to resemble an AK-47 assault rifle. Gelhaus opened fire on Lopez, presumably mistaking the airsoft gun for a real firearm. The shooting prompted many protests in Santa Rosa, and throughout California.

Shooting of Stephon Clark 2018 fatal shooting by police in Sacramento, California

In the late evening of March 18, 2018, Stephon Clark, a 22-year-old African-American man, was shot and killed in Meadowview, Sacramento, California by Terrence Mercadal and Jared Robinet, two officers of the Sacramento Police Department in the backyard of his grandmother's house while he had a phone in his hand. The encounter was filmed by police video cameras and by a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department helicopter which was involved in observing Clark on the ground and in directing ground officers to the point at which the shooting took place. The officers stated that they shot Clark, firing 20 rounds, believing that he had pointed a gun at them. Police found only a cell phone on him. While the Sacramento County Coroner's autopsy report concluded that Clark was shot seven times, including three shots to the right side of the back, the pathologist hired by the Clark family stated that Clark was shot eight times, including six times in the back.

Andrés Guardado was an 18-year-old Salvadoran-American man shot in the back and killed by a Deputy Sheriff from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department near Gardena and West Compton on June 18, 2020. Guardado ran from two uniformed police officers into an alley, where he died after being shot by deputies. Seven shots were fired and Guardado was hit in the upper torso. Police say that Guardado produced a handgun during the chase. Investigators do not believe it was fired. Accounts of the incident are disputed between police and witnesses. Police stated they were searching for footage of the incident. Store-owner Andrew Heney reported that several cameras at the scene, including a digital video recorder that stored surveillance footage, were taken and destroyed by police.

Dijon Kizzee, an African-American man, was shot and killed in the Los Angeles County community of Westmont on August 31, 2020, by deputies of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD). For days, protesters gathered outside the South Los Angeles sheriff's station. By September 6, those demonstrations had escalated to clashes, with deputies firing projectiles and tear gas at the crowds and arresting 35 people over four nights of unrest.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Balsamo, Michael (6 February 2018). "Anthony Jacob Weber: LA Sheriff's department shoot dead black teenager and say someone removed gun from his body". Independent. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Emotions Run High After Deputies Fatally Shoot 16-Year-Old Boy". 2018-02-05. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Lau, Nicole Santa Cruz, Maya (9 February 2018). "A teenager killed by deputies, a missing gun and community rage". latimes.com. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  4. ↑ Radio, Southern California Public (2018-02-08). "Anger erupts at emergency meeting over teen killed by deputies". Southern California Public Radio. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  5. ↑ Lau, Maya; Santa Cruz, Nicole (14 May 2019). "L.A. County to pay $3.75 million to family of teen killed by sheriff's deputy". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  6. ↑ Byers, Adrienne. "Item for the Board of Supervisors' Agenda, County Claims Board Recommendation, V. W, v. County of Los Angeles, et al., United States District Court Case No. 2:18-CV-03684" (PDF). County of Los Angeles. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  7. 1 2 Helm, Angela. "A Community Reels After the Police Killing of 16-Year-Old Anthony 'A.J.' Weber in Los Angeles". The Root (in American English). Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  8. ↑ "Father of teen fatally shot by LA sheriff's dept.: Son wasn't armed, was 'good kid'". ABC News. 2018-02-07. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  9. 1 2 3 "Sheriff Discusses Disappearance of Gun Seen Before Shooting". NBC Southern California. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  10. ↑ "Protestors in South L.A. Demand Answers in Death of Anthony Weber, Teen Shot Dead by Sheriff's Deputy". KTLA (in American English). 2018-02-11. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  11. ↑ Khan-Cullors, Jasmyne Cannick and Patrisse. "An Open Letter to the Mainstream Media Covering the Death of Black People by the Police". The Root (in American English). Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  12. ↑ "Activists Continue to Put Pressure on Sheriff's Officials After Teen's Fatal Shooting by Staging Protest Outside Downtown L.A. NBA Event". KTLA (in American English). 2018-02-19. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  13. ↑ about, Amy Powell, bio (2018-02-19). "Group protests Westmont deputy-involved shooting". ABC7 Los Angeles (in American English). Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  14. 1 2 "16-year-old killed by sheriff's deputies during chase". ABC News. 2018-02-05. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  15. ↑ Panzar, Angel Jennings, Javier (6 February 2018). "Gun allegedly carried by 16-year-old shot and killed by L.A. County sheriff's deputies may have been taken". latimes.com. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.