KTLA

LAPD Identifies 2 Officers, Sergeant Who Fired in Fatal Skid Row Shooting

A screenshot from a bystander’s video show Los Angeles police officers struggling with a man moments before he was fatally shot in downtown on Sunday, March 1, 2015. (Credit: Anthony Blackburn/via Facebook)

More than two weeks after a deadly encounter between police and a homeless man on skid row, Los Angeles police officials on Thursday publicly named the sergeant and two officers who fired their weapons.

The department identified those who shot Charly Keunang on March 1 as Sgt. Chand Syed and Officers Francisco Martinez and Daniel Torres.

LAPD records showed Martinez had been with the department for 12 years; Syed for eight years and Torres for six. Police officials have said the sergeant and officers had never before fired their weapons on duty.

The March 1 shooting drew international attention after a bystander recorded video of the incident and posted it to Facebook, where it was viewed millions of times. The LAPD said the officers were responding to a 911 call reporting some type of robbery or assault when the suspect — identified as Keunang — refused to comply with directions and instead tried to fight. Police said the man grabbed a rookie officer’s holstered pistol, prompting the three others to open fire.

Click here to read the full story on LATimes.com.