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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Sam Levin in Los Angeles

A plastic fork, a phone, a car part: why does the LAPD keep shooting people holding harmless objects?

A composite of four black-and-white images showing the objects described in the caption.
LAPD has shot people holding a bike part (top left), a fork, a phone and a car part (bottom right). Composite: LAPD

The first report from the Los Angeles police department about the killing of Jason Maccani on 3 February immediately drew scrutiny: an officer had fatally shot a man who had been “armed with a stick” and threatening people in a building on Skid Row, the department said.

LAPD’s update a day later raised new concerns: the 36-year-old Maccani hadn’t been holding any weapon, but rather a “white plastic fork”.

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