Vershell Hall, whose son Richard Tyson, 20, was killed by an Inglewood police officers in 2007 poses for a portrait at her apartment. Noel Aguilar was riding his bicycle on a sidewalk when he stole a glance at a couple of Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies and quickly pedaled away. Within minutes of what began as a routine encounter, the 23-year-old was dead with three rounds in his back .
When Christian Cobian was stopped by deputies because his bike didn’t have lights, he ran from them with his hand underneath his shirt. Deputies said they thought Cobian, 26, was going to shoot them and fired 13 rounds, killing him. No gun was found. In August, Dijon Kizzee, 29, was shot 16 times and killed by deputies who tried to stop him for riding his bike on the wrong side of the street in South L.A., spurring weeks of protests .
Kizzee’s death and the others highlight how deadly violence can erupt from minor infractions and has sparked criticism of law enforcement’s failure to deescalate such incidents. The Times identified 16 cases since 2005 where a stop for bike violations in Los Angeles County resulted in a police shooting, […]