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Chief Beck: Teen shot dead by LAPD was suicidal, called police
A replica gun was recovered at the scene of a fatal officer-involved shooting in South L.A. on Oct. 2, 2016, the LAPD said.
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Los Angeles Police Dept.
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A 16-year-old boy with a replica handgun who was shot dead by a Los Angeles police officer in South Los Angeles on Sunday was apparently intent on ending his life because he called police himself and left a farewell note, police Chief Charlie Beck said Thursday.
"Based on the actions of Daniel Perez, his call to 911, a farewell note left to his family, and some of his prior history as reported by his family, we believe this officer-involved shooting is a result of his desire to end his own life," Beck said at a press conference.
Beck said that Daniel Enrique Perez had called 911 Sunday to report a man with a gun in South Los Angeles. Police have said that officers sent to the area spotted a person matching the suspect's description and when they approached he pointed a gun at them. The weapon turned out to be a replica with an orange tip that was painted black.
Beck says Perez also had an unspecified prior history that also led investigators to conclude that he wanted to end his own life. Beck also said that the officer who shot Perez is devastated.
L.A. County coroner's spokesman Ed Winter said Perez, whose address was listed only as on 48th Street in Los Angeles, died from multiple gunshot wounds. He was shot near East 45th Street and Ascot Avenue.
Police recovered a replica gun that had its orange tip darkened or painted over to make it look like an authentic gun, Beck said on Monday. The orange tip is supposed to be a safety measure that indicates the object is a replica.
Beck also said the officers' body camera footage "clearly supports" the officers' account of what happened, refuting earlier media reports that the suspect was shot while on the ground. That video has not been released.
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Perez was the second teen-age male shot by LAPD officers last weekend.
Carnell Snell, 18, was killed Saturday in South Los Angeles after a foot chase with police, during which he twice turned toward officers while holding a fully loaded, semi-automatic handgun, police said.
A surveillance video released Tuesday by police showed Snell crouching behind an SUV parked at a strip mall and pulling a handgun from the waistband of his sweatpants as he fled from police. The video did not show when Snell was shot, which occurred outside of the surveillance video's range.
Snell's shooting drew protests from members of the Black Lives Matter group at Monday's Los Angeles Police Commission meeting.
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