Who was Anthony Lowe Jr? Double amputee dad-of-two shot dead by California cops, family calls it 'murder'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A double amputee was shot and killed by a group of policemen on Thursday, January 26. His family has described the incident as "murder". The police officers from California's Huntington Park Police Department shot Lowe Jr when he jumped out of his wheelchair and was on his stumps after he attempted to run away from them. At least eight shots were fired at Anthony Lowe Jr by three police officers of the department.
A father-of-two, Lowe Jr, 36, recently lost the lower halves of his legs. The amputation resulted from an altercation with police in Texas. According to the department, he stabbed someone with no provocation and tried to flee the scene on Thursday, January 26, in an attempt to run from two police officers. He leaped from his wheelchair and moved on his stumps after he was first tased and then chased by the officers, according to Daily Mail.
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How did Anthony Lowe Jr die?
The shooting death victim reportedly hurried away as police officers ran behind Lowe Jr after he stabbed someone. The double amputee clutched a large butcher's knife in his hand. Police cars arrived at the scene and after the arrival of a third officer, the police officers fired multiple shots at Lowe's upper torso. He was handcuffed after he was lying on the ground, the Daily Mail reported. The identity and the condition of the allegedly stabbed person remains unclear.
As per the LA County Sheriff's Office statement, "The suspect was tased at least twice by Huntington Park officers but the deployment of the taser was ineffective," and "the suspect attempted to throw the butcher knife at the officers again, at which time an officer-involved shooting occurred."
Later, the double amputee died at the scene and the identities of the police officers involved in the incident have been withheld. No disciplinary action has been taken officially against the officers who are now placed off duty "for a few days," said Lt. Hugo Reynaga of the LA County Sheriff's Office.
'They murdered my son'
The incident of police officers involved in shooting of Lowe Jr comes just three weeks after five policemen of the Memphis Police Department were fired and charged for allegedly beating Tyre Nichols, 29, to death in Memphis, Tennessee.
In a press conference on Sunday, January 29, Dorothy Lowe, mother of Lowe Jr, said, "They murdered my son, in a wheelchair with no legs. They do need to do something about it." According to Los Angeles Times, Lowe who lost the lower half of his legs in the recent altercation was living with his mother after the incident.
"This is a man, a father, a son, and a brother who was gunned down by the police. So, that is what matters to us right now," said Lowe's sister, Yatoya Toy. His mother stated that on the day of the fatal shooting incident, he told her that he was going to McDonalds. The family is currently demanding answers from the department about Lowe's shooting death.