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Two Unarmed Men Shot by Police in Compton
Photo by carl ballou via Shutterstock
Two men were shot by police in Compton yesterday evening after a chase that ended on foot near a cul-de-sac, reports City News Service. Both turned out to be unarmed.
The incident began when officers reported hearing shots fired at about 6:20 p.m. in the area of Willowbrook Avenue and Stockwell Street in unincorporated Willowbrook. They then saw two cars leaving the area, apparently chasing each other. Officers say that a handgun was believed to have been thrown out the window of one of the vehicles.
Two men jumped out of one of the cars, and one fled into the backyard of a residence. It was then that the cop chasing him thought he saw the man reach for his waistband, and so the officer fired. The wounded man was taken to a hospital and listed in stable condition.
Another man stayed in the car until it crashed into another vehicle, then got out and, according to officers, ran towards them and grabbed his waistband. He was shot as well, and is also in stable condition at a local hospital.
Deputies said that both men were shot because they appeared to be reaching for guns. An investigation into the incident is being conducted by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, the sheriff's Homicide and Internal Affairs bureaus and the Los Angeles Office of Independent Review.
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