(LOS ANGELES) — The Los Angeles Police Department released dramatic body-camera and surveillance footage over the weekend showing two officers responding to a domestic violence call this month and one of them fatally shooting a 19-year-old man who emerged from a home wielding what turned out to be an airsoft rifle, authorities said.
The incident occurred on Sept. 17 in the Vermont Vista neighborhood of southeast Los Angeles.
“We are still at the very early stages of this investigation, which can often take up to a year to complete,” Capt. Kelly Muniz, a spokesperson for the LAPD, said in a video statement that accompanied the footage of the shooting.
The suspected gunman was identified as Luis Herrera, who had earlier called 911 twice requesting police be sent to his house and complaining that his father was allegedly drunk and beating his mother, police said.
“I tried to get involved and now he is attacking me,” Herrera allegedly told the 911 dispatcher, according to a recording of the call also released by the LAPD.
Two officers arrived at the home at about 1:20 p.m., according to Muniz.
As one of the officers approached the front porch, Herrera allegedly emerged from the home wielding what appeared to be a black assault rifle, according to the body-camera video.
The officers immediately took cover at the side of the home, ordering the man to put down the weapon.
“However, he did not comply with officers commands and shouldered the rifle and pointed directly at the officers resulting in an officer-involved shooting,” Muniz said in a narration of the body-camera video.
Police immediately called for backup as family members came out of the house and the officers ordered them to get back inside, according to the video.
“That’s my son,” a woman is heard screaming on the video as the mortally wounded Herrera laid on the ground outside his home, still clutching the rifle in his hands.
At one point, Herrera’s father emerged from the home and told police the gun was an airsoft rifle that fires plastic projectiles, according to the video.
Following the shooting, the video showed police officers standing back from Herrera for several minutes, ordering him to let go of the gun as he appeared to continue moving, the video shows. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics eventually pronounced Herrera dead at the scene, authorities said.
The officer who fatally shot Herrera was identified as Luis Navarrete, who has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Once completed, the investigation is expected to be reviewed by Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore, the city’s Board of Police Commissioners and the Office of Inspector General to determine if Navarrete’s use of deadly force complied with the LAPD’s policies and procedures.
Muniz said investigators are collecting and analyzing additional evidence and added that an “understanding of the incident may change” depending on the review.
“We also do not draw any conclusions about whether the officers acted consistent with our policies and the law until all the facts are known and the investigation is complete,” Muniz said.
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