For the first time during his tenure Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck has recommended criminal charges be brought against one of his own officers. Beck made the announcement Tuesday considering the fatal shooting of Brendon Glenn by Officer Clifford Proctor in May.
"I don't do this lightly and in the vast majority of the time, as you well know, I stand up for you, regardless of public opinion," the chief told a group of fellow officers. "But in this case, I had to call it like I saw it. I had to do the right thing."
Officer Proctor claimed the 29-year-old homeless man was reaching for his partner’s weapon when he was killed. But Beck said careful review of the footage revealed the man to be unarmed and not reaching for any weapons when he was shot twice in the back.
Police union officials expressed outrage over the chief’s decision, which they say is politically motivated. Like many law enforcement heads, Beck has come under criticism from groups like Black Lives Matter for his department’s handling of officer-involved shootings and other violent incidents. In this case, both the officer and the deceased were black.
District Attorney Jackie Lacey has not yet said whether criminal charges will be brought in the case. If so, it would mark the first time in 15 years that Los Angeles prosecutors have charged an officer in an on-duty shooting.
Read more about Beck’s announcement here.
Image Credit: Flickr User gregpm, https://flic.kr/p/epaV7L via (CC BY ND 2.0)