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Officer identified in shooting of unarmed Long Beach student
Feras Morad, 20, was shot and killed by police on Wednesday after friends say he had a bad reaction to psychedelic drugs.
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"Justice for Feras" Facebook page
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The officer who shot and killed a student has been identified as 12-year veteran Officer Mathew Hernandez of the Long Beach Police, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reports.
According to NBCLA, Long Beach student Feras Morad, 20, was not armed when police came into contact with him on May 27. According to the station:
In a 911 call released last week, a caller describes an intoxicated man who fell or jumped from a second-story window, bleeding and acting "kind of irate."
Long Beach police have defended the officer's actions, saying he tried to subdue Morad by stunning him with a Taser and using a flashlight with force.
The Times spoke with a cousin of Morad who said that he was on drugs when the incident occurred. Kareem Morad said Feras Morad made a "silly mistake of experimenting with [hallucinogenic] mushrooms and, unfortunately, he had a bad reaction to it. He needed help, and he didn't get the help he needed."
The incident has sparked protest. The Times said Morad's death is the fourth officer-involved shooting in Long Beach this year.
The Press-Telegram said Officer Hernandez has been taken off field duty while the case is being reviewed.
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