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.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Police Shoot And Kill Unarmed College Student Needing Medical Attention
An unarmed, 20-year old college student with dreams of becoming a lawyer for victims of police brutality was shot and killed by a Long Beach Police officer.Feras Morad was fatally shot by an officer on the 4600 block of East 15th Street, near Pacific Coast Highway on Wednesday night after jumping out of a second story window. According to friends he was with at the time, Morad was having a bad reaction after taking shrooms for the first time. According to the Long Beach Press Telegram, a responding police officer arrived around 7:30 p.m. to help him get medical attention.
However, Morad continued to approach the officer, who perceived his actions as a threat, and after unsuccessfully trying to subdue him with a Taser and a baton, shot the 20-year old. He was quickly rushed a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
"Even if he did something, if he was under the influence, he should not have been shot, he does not harm anyone," his father, Amr Morad, told NBC 4. His sister, Ghada, said it was "unfair" that the family was first notified of his death through a Facebook message, instead getting a call from the police, hospital or the coroner's office. Morad's family also disputes the police's side of the story, which says the 20-year old was in a "physical altercation" with his friends before jumping through the window and later threatened the officer.
"From what the friends had told me, he was just having a bad reaction," said his cousin Kareem. A friend that was with Morad when the shooting took place told NBC 4 that Morad was simply dazed from the drugs and falling through the window without his glasses, and that he was about 20 feet away from the officer and actually walking away when he was shot.
Support for LAist comes from
"We were saying, 'Don't shoot! Don't shoot, he's not armed!'" his friend Ryan Fobes told ABC 7. "Feras was shirtless and covered in blood and obviously very hurt."
Feras was a 3.9 GPA student at Moorpark College and was going to start classes at Long Beach State in the fall. He was a nationally-ranked debate student while attending El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills, and was accepted into UCLA and Cal out of high school, but chose to attend CSULB to save money. His goal was to become a lawyer who would represent victims of police brutality.
The Morad family plans on suing the Long Beach Police Department and for now have set up a GoFundMe to cover his funeral arrangements. A "Justice For Feras Morad" Facebook page has been set up, and a candlelight vigil is schedule to take place this Wednesday night in Long Beach.
According to the L.A. Times Homicide Report, Morad is at least the fourth person fatally shot by police in Long Beach in the last 12 months, with the last being Hector Morejon.
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
-
Flauta, taquito, tacos dorados? Whatever they’re called, they’re golden, crispy and delicious. -
If California redistricts, the conservative beach town that banned LGBTQ Pride flags on city property would get a gay, progressive Democrat in Congress. -
Most survivors of January's fires face a massive gap in the money they need to rebuild, and funding to help is moving too slowly or nonexistent. -
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.
Best of LAist