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Video raises questions about Los Angeles Sheriff Department shooting in Long Beach
Elvia Marina Aguilar, center, talks to reporters about the killing of her son Noel Enrique Aguilar by LA County Sheriff's deputies. She is flanked by her son's fiance, Mary Herrera and their attorney Humberto Guizar.
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Video raises questions about Los Angeles Sheriff Department shooting in Long Beach
The video shows two deputies firing at close range, killing Noel Enrique Aguilar. Los Angeles Sheriff's officials say he was armed and tried to grab a deputy's gun.
Video released by attorneys representing the family of Noel Enrique Aguilar shows Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies on top of Aguilar when they fatally shot him May 26, 2014 in Long Beach.
The video, which shows a chaotic struggle, was taken by a bystander who recently dropped it off anonymously at one of their offices, according to the attorneys.
Deputies attempted to stop Aguilar, 23, as he was riding his bike near Long Beach Blvd. and 69th Way around 9:45 a.m., according to the department. Aguilar allegedly fled.
The camera shows two deputies and Aguilar in a driveway adjacent an apartment complex nearby. At one point, Deputy Albert Murad fires his gun--and accidentally hits his partner.
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“I’ve been shot,” Deputy Jose Ruiz cries out.
“I didn’t shoot nobody,” Aguilar responds.
It's unclear if the deputies realize that it was Murad who shot Ruiz.
After 45 more seconds of struggle, Murad shoots again and Ruiz, apparently bleeding from his stomach, fires three rapid shots. Before the end of the video, Aguilar is heard saying “I’m dying.”
Warning: Video contains explicit language and graphic violence:
Contains explicit language: Video shows LA sheriff's deputies shooting man in Long Beach
For more than a minute on the video, Murad is on his knees straddling Aguilar's limp body. Another deputy is seen on the video telling him to get up.
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Aguilar's family has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the sheriff's department.
“Its clearly an execution. Its murder,” said attorney Humberto Guizar, who is representing Aguilar’s fiancé and mother.
A statement from the Sheriff’s Department following the shooting said Aguilar was grabbing for a deputy's gun. The statement also said he was armed with a loaded handgun.
A gun was recovered at the scene, according to the sheriff's department.
The department issued a new statement Friday.
“We welcome any additional video evidence that individuals may have,” it said.
“The Sheriff’s Department takes all deputy involved shootings seriously. An internal affairs investigation was conducted and completed and will be presented to the Executive Force Review Committee in January.”
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Both deputies are back on patrol, according to the statement.
The family is calling for a federal investigation of the shooting.
“It just breaks my heart to see the video and know that one day my daughter is going to see it," said Mary Herrera, Aguilar’s fiancé. "I feel very sad."
“Noel was a person with a nice heart,” said Herrera, who was five months pregnant with their daughter when he was fatally shot.
Aguilar’s mother Elvia Marina Aguilar, who is from Honduras, cried as she recalled a son who recently appeared in a dream in which he said he loved her.
“I want them to pay for taking my son’s life,” she said through a translator.
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