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Family of Dijon Kizzee calls for officers in shooting to be identified, prosecuted

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amphotora/iStockBy MATT GUTMAN and MEREDITH DELISO, ABC News

(LOS ANGELES) — The family of a Black man who was shot and killed by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies is calling for the officers involved to be identified and prosecuted, as a second night of protests got underway Tuesday.

The man, identified by family as Dijon Kizzee, 29, was pursued Monday afternoon for riding a bicycle in violation of vehicle laws, authorities said. Following an altercation with the two officers, he allegedly dropped a gun and was shot several times, officials said.

What appears to sound like at least 15 rounds can be heard fired off-screen in doorbell camera footage obtained by ABC News.

During a press briefing Tuesday, activist Najee Ali, a spokesperson for Ben Crump, the family’s lawyer, said that Kizzee was shot while unarmed and running away.

Several eyewitnesses of the incident in the South Los Angeles neighborhood of Westmont told ABC News Tuesday that Kizzee was unarmed and backing away at the time of the shooting.

One, who wanted to be called by only his last name, said he and his girlfriend were feet away from the shooting. Martin, 23, said they saw Kizzee drop what appeared to be a bundle of clothing and heard a clattering “like a phone falling on the ground” seconds before the officers opened fire. He said they didn’t hear any orders from the officers prior to the shooting.

Tim Ingram, 52, who lives across the street from the site of the incident, told ABC News that Kizzee had his hands up when he was shot, and that the officers continued to shoot after he was down.

In an update Tuesday night that did not name the suspect, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said that two deputies observed a man commit a vehicle code violation while riding a bicycle. The man allegedly ran from the scene and punched one of the deputies in the face once.

“After he punched the deputy, he dropped a jacket at which time a black semi-automatic handgun fell to the ground,” the statement said. “The suspect made a motion toward the firearm, it was at that time a deputy-involved shooting occurred.”

The man was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.

In describing the incident late Monday, Lt. Brandon Dean of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department told reporters that the suspect was struck several times, with both officers firing their weapons.

Deputies recovered the handgun that the man had been carrying, he said.

The deputies have been removed from the field during the investigation, officials said Tuesday.

Kizzee’s family is demanding the identification and arrest of the officers who shot Kizzee, Ali said. They also are calling for the sheriff’s department to immediately implement body cameras. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is set to start deploying body cameras in the fall.

A second night of protests over Kizzee’s death was planned for Tuesday evening, as the Coalition for Community Control Over the Police organized a march outside the South Los Angeles Sheriff’s Station. According to organizers, Kizzee’s family participated. Protesters were demanding that the officers be identified and arrested for murder.

At the press briefing earlier Tuesday, Fletcher Fair, Kizzee’s aunt, spoke out in anger over violence against Black people.

“I think this is so dirty of any department — sheriff’s department or any department to kill people. They don’t kill any other race but us and this don’t make any sense,” Fair said. “Right now, I’m sad and I’m mad at the same time. Why us? … We’re tired. We are absolutely tired.”

In a high-profile deputy-involved shooting back in June, 18-year-old Andres Guardado was shot and killed after two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies said they saw him wielding a gun in front of a business and led them on a foot chase. The Los Angeles County medical examiner confirmed that he was shot five times in the back.

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