The Los Angeles Police Department on Thursday released body-worn camera video of a police shooting that killed a man in the Westmont area of South Los Angeles earlier this month.
Officers responded to a call about a shooting at a gas station in the 11500 block of South Vermont Avenue on April 3 just after 1 a.m., according to the LAPD. While searching the area, police spotted a person who they say matched the suspect description walking on the sidewalk near 112th Street and Van Buren Avenue.
The man, identified by police as 40-year-old Los Angeles resident Eliar “Elias” Real Hernandez, took out an item and put it down by his leg. Police said it was a handgun that Hernandez pointed at his head when an officer got out of his car.
GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING: The video below was edited and released by the Los Angeles Police Department and shows the incident. Viewer discretion is advised.
In the nearly 13-minute edited YouTube video shared by the LAPD, police can be seen shining a light and pointing a gun at Hernandez, who was walking and facing away from police, before telling him to “drop the gun” multiple times.
Hernandez can then be seen in the video turning his head to the left, which the LAPD described as Hernandez turning toward officers, while in the middle of the road near a roundabout in a residential area. That’s when police shot Hernandez, causing him to fall to the ground.
Security camera footage also included in the LAPD’s YouTube video appears to show an object fall from Hernandez, and police continue firing as he reaches and crawls toward it. While it was not clear what the object was in the security footage, a body-worn video from another responding officer captured a different angle and showed what appeared to be a gun.
Shortly later, Hernandez was taken into custody. Officers performed CPR until paramedics responded, but he died at the scene, the LAPD said.
Hernandez was the father of a 17-year-old son, according to his family. Days after the shooting, his sister, mother, fiancée and others gathered outside LAPD Headquarters to say they believe the shooting was unjustified.
At the time, the family’s attorney released a cell phone video shot from a further distance that didn’t seem to back up a portion of the LAPD’s account. The family claimed Hernandez was holding a cell phone, not a gun, and the cell phone video did not appear to show Hernandez turning at all before shots were fired. His right hand couldn’t be seen from the camera angle, but his left hand appeared to be empty.
It was not immediately clear whether the family had viewed the recently released footage.
“Investigators recovered a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol with a spent bullet casing jammed in the ejection port at scene and booked it as evidence,” LAPD Capt. Mike Bland said, adding that it was later determined to be a ghost gun.
Detectives learned that prior to the shooting, Hernandez was involved in a hit-and-run collision at the 105 Freeway off-ramp and Vermont Avenue. Police said he confronted a driver and shot him in the 11500 block of South Vermont Avenue. The victim was taken to the hospital and later positively identified Hernandez as the suspect who shot him, according to the LAPD.
When the LAPD completes its investigation, the chief of police will make his recommendations to the Board of Police Commissioners. The Office of the Inspector General will also conduct an independent review and send its recommendations to the board.
About the Author
Discover more from USA NEWS
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
