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Another Fatal Deputy Shooting, More Questions About Tactics
Raquel and Raquisha Nevilles protesting the killing of Dijon Kizzee. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)
Another killing of a Black man by L.A. Sheriff’s deputies in South L.A. is touching off protests and questions about why they opened fire.
The Sheriff’s Department says 29-year-old Dijon Kizzee ran away when the two deputies tried to stop him for a traffic violation while he was riding a bicycle. According to an account a sheriff's department official gave to the L.A. Times on Monday, Kizzee allegedly punched one of them and, as he did, he dropped a jacket and a gun. Late Tuesday, the LASD released a statement saying Kizzee "made a motion toward the firearm." That’s when they opened fire.
The incident sparked an impromptu protest Monday night, and another one today. Black Lives Matter leader Melina Abdullah said:
"At the time they shot, he had already dropped the gun. According to their own story, he did not have a gun when they killed him."
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