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The Los Angeles Police Department continue to hold their defensive stance in the days following an officer-involved shooting (OIS) that took place in the early morning hours of Janaury 14th, claiming the life of Reggie Doucet, a former college football star who was behaving erratically while disrobed in front of his Playa Vista apartment complex.As details about the bizarre confrontation came to light on the 14th, the LAPD attributed their officers' decision to open fire on Doucet, who was unarmed, to the struggle in which they were engaged, during which Doucet allegedly struck the officers.
With an investigation ongoing, the LAPD sent out a new media release over the weekend explaining that their investigations in cases such as the Doucet "naked man" shooting are "comprehensive and exhaustive," and that "the Department is also open to reviewing policy and procedure."
How the LAPD officers at the scene of the Doucet incident respond is receiving fresh scrutiny; they appear to be categorizing the fatal shooting as one in which the officers "initially perceived" the victim as being "under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or having mental health illness issues," due to his behavior outside the apartment complex, including his removal of his clothes.
The LAPD explain:
FID is still very early into its officer involved shooting investigation. There is still much to be learned and it is too early to make any definitive determinations. What we do know is that preliminary information has revealed that the officer’s were fighting for their lives. During the fight the suspect repeatedly punched both officers in the face and head and at one point tried to take one of the officer’s guns. That officer, a male Black, 17 months with LAPD shot the suspect to stop the attack. The second officer, a male Asian, 5 years with LAPD, was physically battered and dazed during the incident.
The investigation will ultimately be reviewed by the Chief of Police, the Office of the Inspector General and Board of Police Commissioners for compliance with the Department’s use of force policy which states that officer’ use of force actions must be objectively reasonable. Additionally the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Justice System Integrity Division will conduct a comprehensive review of the facts of the Officer Involved Shooting.
