LAPD Shooting Update: Two Body Cameras, And A Gun Malfunction

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Police Chief Charlie Beck are calling for calm and patience, as three investigations are underway into the police killing of a homeless man Sunday. Police say the man "forcibly grabbed" an officer's gun before he was shot to death.

Beck called the incident a tragedy that followed a "brutal, brutal fight."

The police confrontation with a man known as Afrika was filmed by at least two eyewitnesses. A dramatic video sparked criticism of the police, as it showed several officers attempting to hold him down before shots rang out..

From Los Angeles, NPR's Kirk Siegler reports:

"Two of the officers were wearing body cameras – part of a new pilot program in the LAPD's central city bureaus. However, so far, Chief Beck is refusing to make those videos public.

" 'I've reviewed the other videos,' Beck said. "It appears to me the officers acted compassionately up until the time when force was required.'

"Beck is promising a full investigation into whether the use of force was justified. Advocates for the homeless say the shooting highlights a worsening mental health crisis among Skid Row residents. Thousands of homeless people are concentrated in a few city blocks here, and this area has long been home to intense clashes with police."

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