Last month’s fatal police shooting of Anthony Lowe by Huntington Park police has raised questions about the officers’ tactics.
Police say Lowe, who had lost both legs and used a wheelchair, stabbed someone before they approached him on the afternoon of Jan. 26.
Video released Monday shows Lowe out of his wheelchair, hobbling away on a sidewalk, away from officers for about 30 seconds. Officers followed him from about six feet away. They opened fire when he turned toward them and raised a knife.
Lowe’s son has filed a legal claim against Huntington Park, and his mother and daughter are preparing a separate claim, which is a precursor to a lawsuit.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the shooting.
We asked four use-of-force experts to review the video. Three believe the officers could have used different tactics to avoid the use of deadly force; one thought the use of lethal gunfire was justified.
Seth Stoughton: ‘Keep A Tactically Safe Distance’
Seth Stoughton, a professor of law at the University of South Carolina, questions why the officers weren’t farther away from Lowe.
“Generally when officers are interacting with someone with a knife or other melee weapon, they want to keep a tactically safe distance,” he said. “They want to put some space between themselves and the person with the weapon, which gives them time to think and plan and try to implement options other than using force.”
He added that police could have also used cover, pointing out there’s a tree and telephone pole at the scene the officers could have gotten behind. Police could have also used their cars or other equipment as cover, he said. “For example, did officers have riot shields in their car?”
Staughton noted that while the video is…
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