In the annals of police encounters with Black people gone very wrong and caught on video, the one that happened last month in the Canoga Park neighborhood of Los Angeles was a rarity. Rare because it generated not controversy, but near-universal sympathy: The victim, shot to death by an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department in the hallway just outside the apartment where he lived, was immediately mourned by neighbors and people online far beyond L.A.
The overwhelming consensus was that he was innocent, that he didn’t deserve it, that the cop clearly overreacted. L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and Police Chief Jim McDonnell promptly expressed regret about the tragedy and promised swift investigations. A GoFundMe campaign for the victim has raised about $250,000 to cover the funeral expenses and start a justice fund.
