A man who was fatally shot by police in Hollywood on Thursday was carrying a metallic butane lighter “with a pistol-like grip handle,” Police Chief Michel Moore told the Police Commission Tuesday.
The Los Angeles Police Department initially reported that the unidentified man had a replica handgun, and under a new state law, the state Attorney General’s Office is investigating the circumstances of the fatal police shooting.
It occurred around 11:20 a.m. Thursday in the 6700 block of Hollywood Boulevard, east of Highland Avenue. Officers say the department received a report of a man with a gun, and when they arrived, the man pointed the pistol-like lighter at officers. An officer opened fire, striking the man, who was taken to a hospital and was pronounced dead shortly after, according to Moore.
A female bystander who was a customer at a nearby store “may have been struck by one of the rounds” and suffered a graze wound on her leg, Moore said.
“Our hearts go out to all those involved in this devastating incident,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement Friday. “As required under AB 1506, the California Department of Justice immediately took action to initiate our investigation that will ultimately lead to an independent review of this police shooting.”
The law took effect on July 1. Bonta was a co-author of the legislation while serving in the Assembly.
“As we work to gather all of the facts, I’m grateful to the LAPD for their ready collaboration, and quick and committed efforts to work with us on the ground,” Bonta said. “We will take every step necessary to ensure a thorough, impartial investigation and review is completed. Now, more than ever, we must work together in the spirit of this new law to build and maintain trust in our criminal justice system for all of our communities.”
The legislation was adopted last year amid growing calls by civil rights leaders and activists for greater oversight and accountability in fatal police shootings of unarmed civilians. The concerns were fueled largely by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
