A Southern California police agency on Tuesday revealed body-camera footage showing its officers opening fire at point-blank range on a man allegedly armed with a knife.
Jesse Van Loozen, 34, was killed in the Aug. 3 confrontation that unfolded on the roof of a six-story parking lot, Culver City police said.
“Hey watch out, knife!” an officer could be heard shouting as the man appeared out of the stairwell and on to the roof where he was shot and wounded, then later died at a hospital. The video has been edited and blurred by police and it is unclear what happened immediately prior to the recording.
An unidentified officer was wounded by “friendly fire” in the incident and is recovering at home, according to NBC Los Angeles.
Officers responded to the parking complex at 8850 Washington Blvd. following 911 call reporting a knife-wielding man in the stairwell, authorities said.
A 911 caller said Van Loozen had locked himself the stairwell and busted open a pipe. Water can be seen all over the garage’s top floor in the video.
“Hey just come out, all we want to do is talk,” an officer could be heard on the video. “We want to help you. We’re not here to hurt you.”
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, the sheriff’s department, the coroner’s office and the Culver City Police Department’s professional standards unit are all investigating the incident, NBC Los Angeles reports.
Van Loozen’s family could not immediately be located for comment by NBC News.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
