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11 Shots Fired, Man Dies: Pasadena Police Try to Explain Their Side
Leroy Barnes
Last Thursday afternoon, Leroy Barnes, 38, was apparently driving on the wrong side of the road when Pasadena officers pulled him over. They originally said Barnes, a long time criminal, shot at them--they returned fire killing him. Now they say that story is wrong.
Memorial at the shooting scene | Photo: Walt Mancini/SXCity
"A struggle ensued in the back seat of that car and Mr. Barnes displayed a handgun and pointed it at one of the officers as they fought," the chief explained to the press yesterday as a march and protest against the shooting ensued at City Hall. "(An) officer fired one gunshot," he continued. "The other officer believed that Mr. Barnes had in fact shot his partner... That accounts for the statement on Thursday night that Mr. Barnes fired at the officer. He did not. However, it appears, at least preliminarily, that he was certainly attempting to do so."
11 shots were fired by the two police officers--unidentified because there are a "significant number" of death threats against them--but it is unknown how many of the bullets actually hit Barnes.
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