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Independent Autopsy: Dijon Kizzee Shot 15 Times, 7 From Behind
Diagrams from the independent autopsy of Dijon Kizzee. (Frank Stoltze/LAist)
An independent autopsy of Dijon Kizzee found he sustained 15 bullet wounds, seven of them from behind, lawyers for Kizzee’s family said today.
The attorneys also challenged the Sheriff's Department's latest version of the incident, which says Kizzee had picked up a gun he had dropped before the two deputies fatally shot the 29-year-old on Aug. 31.
"I've spoken to several witnesses who have confirmed he did not have anything in his hands before he was shot," attorney Carl Douglas told a news conference.
The independent autopsy was performed by Los Angeles Dr. John Hiserodt. He has not yet determined which of the wounds were fatal, said Ben Crump, one of the family’s attorneys. But Douglas argued that Kizzee might have survived if deputies hadn’t waited as long as 10 minutes before approaching him and administering aid.
The Sheriff's Department says the two deputies fired 19 rounds at Kizzee.
Douglas said audio from a nearby Ring device recorded the deputies firing an initial burst of three or four shots, then pausing, and then firing the remaining shots.
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A drawing of the preliminary results of the autopsy shows two grazing wounds, one in the back of Kizzee’s head and one in his left shoulder blade. Those types of wounds indicate that an individual was shot while lying on the ground.
Douglas called on District Attorney Jackie Lacey to bring criminal charges against the deputies.
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