Killing of Dijon Kizzee

Dijon Kizzee (February 5, 1991 – August 31, 2020), an African-American man, was shot and killed in the Los Angeles County community of Westmont on August 31, 2020, by deputies of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD). For days, protesters gathered outside the South Los Angeles sheriff's station. By September 6, those demonstrations had escalated to clashes, with deputies firing projectiles and tear gas at the crowds and arresting 35 people over four nights of unrest.[1][2]

Killing of Dijon Kizzee
DateAugust 31, 2020 (2020-08-31)
Time3:15 pm
Location1200 block of West 109th Place, Westmont, California
TypeShooting
ParticipantsLos Angeles County Sheriff's Department
DeathsDijon Kizzee
Chargesnone

Death
See also: Biking while black

Two deputies were on patrol in the Westmont neighborhood on August 31, 2020, around 3:15 p.m. The deputies tried to stop Kizzee, 29, for committing a traffic violation on his bike. Kizzee was riding his bicycle on the wrong side of the road and splitting traffic.[3]

Kizzee allegedly dropped the bike and ran a block while holding a jacket and other clothing before deputies caught him. During an encounter with two deputies, Kizzee dropped "a 9mm semi-automatic pistol wrapped in a piece of clothing. He then bent over and reached back to pick up the pistol when each deputy fired, striking Kizzee several times in the torso".[3] The recovered pistol had been reported stolen in 2017.[4]

On September 2, the Kizzee family lawyer posted "a grainy cell phone video footage recorded from a house that purportedly shows the deputies pursuing Kizzee. It shows him walking away from the officers before one closes in on him. Kizzee appears to bend over before the deputy backs up rapidly and opens fire."[4] Kizzee was shot around 16 times and then handcuffed.[5]

Investigation

Video from a nearby surveillance camera was inconclusive, as a wall partially blocked the camera's view.[6] There was no body cam footage as the Department's first body cameras were scheduled to be in service the next month.[7]

On September 4, Los Angeles County Inspector General Max Huntsman was blocked from attending the autopsy of Kizzee. Huntsman told an emergency town hall meeting of the Civilian Oversight Commission that he had asked sheriff's officials to observe the proceedings.[7] On September 8, the Sheriff's Department requested a "security hold" on the autopsy. A security hold typically involves the autopsy not being released to the public until after law enforcement has concluded its investigation. The department said it was worried that releasing the information in the midst of the investigation could taint witnesses' stories.[6] The autopsy conducted on September 2 indicated that Kizzee was shot sixteen times, including gunshot wounds to his head, torso and back. The manner of death was ruled a homicide.[8][9]

Reactions

Kizzee's family retained civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who has represented families of individuals shot by police, such as Jacob Blake’s family from Kenosha, Wisconsin.[10]

Relatives of Kizzee joined other families of people killed by Los Angeles sheriff's deputies to demand a state investigation of the department, claiming the department was rife with corruption. Kizzee's cousin, Jaime Kizzee, alleged that deputies, "...hunted my cousin, and the sheriff's department shot him nineteen times."[11] A community activist, Najee Ali, echoed these beliefs while speaking for the family, stating that Kizzee had been racially profiled and harassed by the officers. Ali said that the Kizzee family and community leaders felt that Sheriff Alex Villanueva should resign his position.[3]

Protests

Protests continued. By September 6, the demonstrations had escalated to clashes, with deputies firing projectiles and tear gas at the crowds and arresting 35 people over four nights of unrest.[2]

August 31

Immediately after the shooting, hundreds of Black Lives Matter protesters gathered at the shooting scene and then marched to the police station, where they remained into early next morning Vandalism was reported, but no violence nor arrests. Protesters also spray-painted inflammatory messages outside the station.[12]

September 4

A protest which began at 4 p.m. and quickly swelled to about two hundred to three hundred people called for law-enforcement agencies to be defunded and asked attendees to vote Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey out of office. Police fired at least three nonlethal warning shots at 8:30 p.m., but no one appeared to have breached the line. A spokesperson with the Sheriff's Office said protesters started throwing rocks and bottles at deputies. By 8:43 p.m. police declared the crowd an unlawful assembly and gave protesters ten minutes to disperse.[13]

September 6

Twelve protesters, two of them minors, were arrested when demonstrations turned violent. According to police, the protesters threw chunks of concrete, bricks and rocks. Protesters wearing helmets and carrying shields also launched mortars at the deputies, according to a police spokesperson. No injuries nor property damage was reported.[14]

September 7

Protests turned chaotic when deputies fired several nonlethal projectiles into the crowd. The protests occurred outside the South Los Angeles sheriff's station. Videos showed protesters running for cover as shots rang out and smoke filled the air. No one was injured but six people were arrested.[15]

September 8

Another 17 protesters were arrested after an "unlawful assembly" notice was issued around 8:15 p.m. There were no reported injuries.[16] Several protestors and journalists were hit with projectiles. One journalist was hospitalized from injuries sustained during an arrest after being hit 3 times with rubber bullets. [17]

September 12

About two hundred people marched from where Kizzee was shot to a location near the South Los Angeles Sheriff's Station to protest, while chanting "Put down your riot gear. I don't see no riot here.". After the group marched back to the shooting location, speakers addressed the crowd, including relatives of Kizzee and Anthony Weber, a 16-year-old shot and killed by police in 2018.[18]

See also

References
  1. Huang, Josie. "In South LA, March For Dijon Kizzee Turns Chaotic Outside Sheriff's Station". LAist. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  2. Miller, Leila; Tchekmedyian, Alene (September 9, 2020). "Dozens arrested as protesters and deputies clash in Dijon Kizzee demonstrations in L.A." Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 9, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  3. Sarah Moon and Alexandra Meeks (September 18, 2020). "Investigators say Los Angeles deputies fired 19 times at Dijon Kizzee after he tried to pick up a gun". CNN. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  4. Moon, Sarah (September 23, 2020). "Independent autopsy shows Dijon Kizzee was struck 15 times by LA Sheriff's deputies, according to family attorneys". CNN. Archived from the original on June 17, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  5. Agency, Reuters News (September 2, 2020). "Los Angeles police fatally shoot black man Dijon Kizzee after alleged bicycle violation". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2020. {{cite news}}: |first1= has generic name (help)
  6. Stoltze, -Frank. "LA Sheriff Requests 'Security Hold' on Dijon Kizzee Autopsy". LAist. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  7. Stoltze, Frank. "Sheriff's Top Watchdog Says Department Blocked Him From Kizzee Autopsy". LAist. Archived from the original on September 9, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  8. Kallingal, Mallika; Mossburg, Cheri (October 3, 2020). "Official autopsy shows Black man killed by Los Angeles deputies was shot 16 times". CNN. Archived from the original on October 4, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  9. Jablon, Robert (October 3, 2020). "Autopsy finds LA deputies shot Black man 16 times". AP News. Archived from the original on October 4, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  10. "Protests Continue 9 Days After LASD Shoots, Kills Dijon Kizzee In South LA". KCAL 9 CBS Los Angeles. September 9, 2020. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  11. "Families Of People Killed By LASD Deputies Call For State Investigation". KCAL 9 CBS Los Angeles. October 21, 2020. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  12. "Protesters Demand Answers After Bicyclist Shot, Killed By Deputies In South LA". September 1, 2020. Archived from the original on September 7, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  13. "Deputies and Demonstrators Clash During Protest Over Dijon Kizzee Shooting Death". NBC Los Angeles. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  14. "12 Demonstrators Arrested After 'Chunks Of Concrete, Bricks' Thrown At Deputies During Dijon Kizzee Protest". September 7, 2020. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  15. "Deputies fire projectiles into crowd during third night of Dijon Kizzee protests". Los Angeles Times. September 8, 2020. Archived from the original on September 11, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  16. "17 Arrested Tuesday Night As South LA Dijon Kizzee Protests Continue". CBS Los Angeles. September 9, 2020. Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  17. url=https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/freelance-journalist-assaulted-arrested-during-la-protest/ Archived September 3, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
  18. "Hundreds Protest Shooting of Dijon Kizzee by LASD Deputies". spectrumnews1.com. September 12, 2020. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
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