Street Smart

There’s a lot of conversation about controversial police incidents. Most of what I read/hear only tells the story from one perspective, which strikes me as wholly unfair and misleading. I don’t see the situation changing and going in a positive direction anytime soon. So…I decided to share a different perspective. You won’t hear these stories in the media. Why? Good question! I suspect it’s because nobody cares. After telling these stories to a friend, I decided to share several as my way of getting the truth out to the public. Maybe this will improve understanding and stop people from making snap judgements. I may write several so please be patient.

The last assignment I held before retiring was as a member of the Officer Representation Section. My duties were numerous, but in a nutshell (and to keep it simple), I was, in a sense, a defense attorney for police officers involved in shootings, significant use of force incidents, and personnel complaint investigations. My job was to roll immediately to the scene of these critical incidents and advise the involved officers and, in many instances, the attorneys sent to represent them.

One particular night I got called to respond to an Officer Involved Shooting in one of the downtown divisions (for clarity, LAPD calls different geographical areas ‘divisions’ or ‘areas’ rather than precincts). The only information I was given prior to responding was that there was one suspect dead at the scene and two involved officers who had been transported to their station. I was directed to stop by the scene for a briefing and then head immediately to the station to meet with the officers.

The scene itself was relatively sterile compared to many I had viewed. The shooting had occurred in the early morning hours and the street where it happened was quiet in terms of pedestrian or vehicular traffic. The suspect was prone on the sidewalk, and covered with yellow plastic about two feet to the right front of a police vehicle parked at a 45 degree angle to the sidewalk. The front driver and passenger doors of the police car were open. It seemed pretty simple at first. I was given a very brief description of what had transpired by the incident commander. He told me that gang officers on patrol in the area, had heard a gunshot behind them as they drove south on the primary street. The officers turned to investigate and observed a male suspect in dark clothing running northbound on the east sidewalk. There was nobody else in the area, so the officers concluded the person running may have fired the shot they had heard. The officers initiated an investigative stop and directed the suspect to stop and raise his hands. Rather than comply, the suspect turned and ran toward the officers as he reached into his waistband. Many orders were given, but the suspect refused to comply. As he neared the officers, the suspect withdrew his hand and pointed a dark object at them. Each officer fired and the suspect fell to the ground where he died. My antenna went up as soon as the field commander described a ‘dark object’ being pointed at the officers instead of saying ‘gun’. My intuition was good; the dark object the suspect pointed at the officers turned out to be a cell phone. There was no gun. So much for simple.

I responded to the station to meet with the involved officers. I won’t bore the reader with the protocol for the investigation and interviews. Suffice to say that when I spoke with the officers, they repeated what I had been told by the incident commander at the scene. Each officer was adamant in their belief that the suspect was reaching for a gun in his waistband as he charged them. Each officer felt his actions were justified, but could not get over the fact the suspect didn’t just stop and raise his hands as directed. Why would he continue to charge the officers? “Suicide by cop” is not an uncommon phenomenon and that possibility was discussed. At that point in time, we knew nothing about the suspect or his background.

As the investigation evolved, we finally received information about the suspect. “Suicide by cop” was eliminated as a possibility. The investigation revealed that the ‘suspect’ was, in fact, a 19-year-old male with special needs who had the mental capacity of a nine year old. Nobody could explain why this young man was out on the streets alone, in a well known gang area, in the early morning hours. Nobody could explain why he ran toward the officers or why he failed to follow instructions. Nobody knew where the gunshot heard by the officers came from (local residents did confirm that they too had heard the shot). Nobody could offer an explanation regarding this young man’s caretakers. Where were they? Did he just sneak out of the house. Nobody knew.

The officers were beyond devastated and broke down! Each repeated over and over; “I thought he had a gun!” They could not be consoled. The department psychologist arrived just as I was leaving.

As always happened, my involvement in this investigation ended the night of the incident, after the interviews had been completed. I did learn later that one of the involved officers never returned to police work. I don’t know what happened to the other officer. I also learned that the investigation turned up a video that supported the officers’ description of all that happened and the shooting was ultimately determined to be “in policy.” I’m certain that “in policy” classification made no difference to anyone directly involved.

It’s human nature to try and place blame. However, things aren’t always as they seem at first. The shooting of that young man was a tragic chain of events and something that never should have happened. But let’s not forget about the officers. By all accounts, each of these young officers were diligent, committed professionals who had dedicated themselves to public service. As proof, consider that all of this started because these two officers heard gunfire and decided to drive toward it to investigate! That is a selfless act that defies common logic and should not be forgotten. These officers were, in a sense, victims of the same tragic chain of events. I’d ask all readers to please consider all possibilities and not be too quick to pass judgment. There’s almost always more to a story.

Blaine Blackstone is a retired Los Angeles Police Sergeant who enjoys the simpler life in Thompson Falls. He can be reached by email at [email protected].