Anthony Lowe: Double amputee shot dead by cops seen stabbing man in torso in disturbing new video released by police
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Authorities have made fresh audio and video footage -- taken just before a double amputee was fatally shot by police last month in a suburb of Los Angeles -- public. Police shot and killed Black man Anthony Lowe, 36, for reportedly refusing to drop a butcher's knife.
In the video, Lowe is seen jumping out of his wheelchair at a gas station and stabbing a man in the torso who was strolling in front of him in Huntington Park. After the incident, the victim ended up tripping into a busy road, at which point the police were called to the scene. They ended up shooting Lowe as he tried to get away. Officers responsible for Lowe's death were later placed on leave. The family of Lowe previously announced that they planned to sue the city of Huntington Park for wrongful death and civil rights violations.
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'No reason to shoot a double amputee in the back 11 times'
They said that when he was slain on January 26 he was having a mental health crisis and did not constitute a threat to the police due to his state. In Huntington Park, the scene of the incident, no cops are equipped with body cameras. Police were requested by Lowe's family to release video of the incident from surrounding security cameras.
The Huntington Park Police Department played two surveillance footage of the incident on February 6 during a press conference. A tape of the initial 911 call, in which the victim claimed that he was being stabbed by a suspect described as a Black man in a wheelchair, as well as police dispatch audio were also played. "There is absolutely no reason to shoot a double amputee in the back 11 times, who was hobbling away from officers," Annee Della Donna, lawyer for the family, said.
As per BBC, Dorothy Lowe, Lowe's mother, noted that since losing his legs five months ago, he had experienced difficulties. "I wouldn't wish this feeling for no mother to bear, to see this video and get no answers from the justice system," she said.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's office probing shooting
During the news conference, police chief Cosme Lozano declined to respond to any queries from the media. The distribution of the video, according to him, was done to achieve "the goal of advancing full disclosure and transparency of the events that transpired from beginning to end". According to Lozano, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's office is currently looking into the shooting, and the participating officers will continue to be on administrative leave while the investigation is ongoing. The officers remain unidentified.
Police identified Lowe as a suspect in an incident that left the victim with "a life-threatening stab wound resulting in a collapsed lung and internal bleeding," according to a statement issued four days after the shooting. The victim's condition was later described as stable by the police. They added that Lowe "ignored the officer's verbal commands and threatened to advance or throw the knife at officers". According to police, they shot Lowe after making two unsuccessful efforts to stun him.