One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.
FBI will investigate police shooting that left unarmed black man Kendrec McDade dead
FBI investigators will examine the Pasadena Police shooting of unarmed black man Kendrec McDade on a Saturday almost two weeks back. The shooting resulted from an emergency call about a robbery where the caller said the suspects were armed when they were not.
Now that the FBI’s involved, three agencies are examining the police shooting of 19-year-old McDade. The Los Angeles County district attorney and the county’s Office of Independent Review are each conducting their own probes.
A civil lawsuit his family filed this week alleges civil rights violations and claims the police department has a history of discrimination and excessive force against black men in Pasadena.
Pasadena Police Chief Phillip Sanchez said he wants complete transparency in these investigations.
“[The FBI] are going to make an assessment as to whether or not civil rights were violated," he said. "They’ll take a look at a very compressive investigation, and then ultimately decide what are the next best steps.”
Sanchez invited the FBI to investigate, but a representative of the federal agency said it’s kept watch on the case from early on.