With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive.
Read The $35 Million Claim Against LA County Filed By Dijon Kizzee's Family
Sequarier McCoy, aunt of Dijon Kizzee, speaks on the community gathering to protest his killing at the hands of sheriff's deputies. (Brian Feinzimer/LAist)
()
The family of Dijon Kizzee, the 29-year-old Black man who was fatally shot last August by Los Angeles Sheriff's Department deputies, this week filed a $35 million claim for damages against the county.
The claim, which is a required step prior to a lawsuit, alleges "intentional and/or negligent infliction of harm on Mr. Kizzee" and says that he "did nothing to justify this use of serious and unreasonable force against him."
Attorney Carl Douglas said this week that he expects the county to reject the claim, and that after that they will file a lawsuit. The claim alleges:
Mr. Kizzee was an African American male. None of the Sheriff deputies who assaulted, battered, and shot him was African American. The Claimants are informed and believe that because of implicit bias, each of the unknown involved Sheriff deputies assumed Mr. Kizzee presented a serious threat to someone’s safety, and then assaulted, battered and shot him more than 16 times in response.
Support for LAist comes from
The sheriff's department says Kizzee ran from two deputies who tried to stop him for riding his bike on the wrong side of the street in the Westmont neighborhood. The names of those deputies still have not been released.
Department officials initially said Kizzee was "making a motion" toward the gun when deputies shot at him 19 times. Later sheriff's officials said Kizzee picked up the gun, which his family disputes.
At the time of the shooting, sheriff's deputies were not yet using body-worn cameras. A surveillance camera from a nearby home captured some of the struggle between Kizzee and deputies, but the video is partially obscured by a wall and fence. The coroner found he was struck 16 times, at least five times from behind.
Read the full claim
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Kevin Lacy has an obsession with documenting California’s forgotten and decaying places. -
Restaurants share resources in the food hall in West Adams as Los Angeles reckons with increasing restaurant closures. -
It will be the second national day of protest against President Donald Trump. -
The university says the compact, as the Trump administration called it, could undermine free inquiry and academic excellence. -
This is the one time you can do this legally! -
Metro officials said it will be able to announce an opening date “soon.”
Best of LAist