Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck has called for criminal charges against an officer who shot and killed an unarmed homeless man in Venice last May.
Beck told the Los Angeles Times he made the recommendation to District Attorney Jackie Lacey last month when the LAPD handed the investigation over to prosecutors.
The May 2015 shooting involved 29-year-old Brendon Glenn. Glenn was black. The officer, named by the Times as Officer Clifford Proctor, is also black. The incident was caught by a surveillance camera.
The news comes on the heels of KPCC's in-depth investigation into police shootings in Los Angeles County, which found one in four people shot were unarmed and that prosecutors had not filed criminal charges against an officer in an on-duty shooting in 15 years.
How difficult will it be to prosecute this case? And what kind of pressure does it put on District Attorney Jackie Lacey? Today on AirTalk, we take a look at what some of the legal challenges will be moving forward.
Guest:
Stan Goldman, Professor of Law at Loyola Law School, where he specializes in criminal law and procedure; he’s also Director, Center for the Study of Law and Genocide
Correction: A previous version of this story identified Brendon Glenn using an incorrect first name. KPCC regrets the error.