The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday passed a motion instructing the LAPD to request an independent review of a fatal police shooting in Historic South-Central L.A. involving an officer known for her prize-winning shooting skills.
The motion passed 8 to 4 and calls for the California Attorney General’s Office to investigate the killing of 38-year-old Daniel Hernandez on April 22.
About 5:30 p.m. that day, officers responded to a crash involving several vehicles at 32nd and San Pedro streets.
After apparently causing a chain crash, Hernandez was holding a knife — later described as a box cutter — when approached by Los Angeles Police Department officers. The officers repeatedly asked him to drop the weapon, but Hernandez refused and advanced at the officers, who fatally shot him, police said.
An autopsy report from the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner shows Hernandez was shot seven times, including in the head, shoulder, lower abdomen and back.
Witnesses at the scene saw him “acting erratically and cutting himself with (a) box cutter.” He had two “sharp-force injuries” on his wrists and arms, which were described as not being deep, the autopsy report said.
Additionally, a toxicology exam revealed Hernandez had methamphetamine and amphetamine in his system when he died.
On June 6, police released bodycam video of the shooting and chaotic scene.
One of the officers who fired six rounds at Hernandez was identified by the Los Angeles Times as Tony McBride, who became a “top shot” in her police academy class and was on the cover of a catalog for a firearms ammunition company. She has boasted her shooting skills in videos posted online, the newspaper reported.
Hernandez worked as a carpet installer and had a 14-year-old daughter, his family told the newspaper.
His family’s attorney told the Times that McBride responded to the incident involving Hernandez like a competitive shooter, rather than a cautious officer.
The call for an independent review of the case comes amid increased scrutiny of police shootings and brutality, especially involving people of color.
Multiple agencies are investigating the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Andres Guardado by a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy in the Gardena area in June.