Who Is Dijon Kizzee? Protests After Black Man Shot Dead by L.A. County Sheriffs
Protests have taken place in Los Angeles after a Black male was shot dead by deputies. The man, named locally as Dijon Kizzee, had allegedly produced a handgun before being killed.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirmed that a deputy-involved shooting took place around 3:16 p.m. on Monday in the 1200 block of West 109th Place.
The shooting took place after deputies attempted to stop a man riding his bike for an alleged vehicle code violation. The man then allegedly ran away from police, who caught up with him.
A fight broke out between deputies and the man, with one deputy suffering a punch to the face. During the fight, the man dropped some items of clothing, which allegedly revealed he was in possession of a semi-automatic weapon. This prompted officers to fire several times.
"During the contact, a fight ensued between the suspect and deputies. The suspect produced a handgun and a deputy-involved 'hit' shooting occurred," the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department tweeted.
"The suspect's handgun was recovered. The suspect was pronounced deceased at the scene."
No officer was injured during the incident.
The department gave a press conference that also provided details leading up to the shooting.
"Our suspect was holding some items of clothing in his hands, punched one of the officers in the face and then dropped the items in his hands," Lt. Brandon Dean said. "The deputies noticed that inside the clothing items that he dropped was a black semiautomatic handgun, at which time a deputy-involved shooting occurred."
The man has been identified by family and the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter identified him as Dijon Kizzee.
"His name is #DijonKizzee and LA County Sheriffs stole his life," BLM-LA tweeted.
"Stand for him. Stand with the community on 109th & Budlong RIGHT NOW."
A large crowd gathered at the scene of the shooting, demanding answers to the latest incident of an officer-involved shooting involving a Black male in the U.S.
Crowd is building at 109th and Budlong. Eerie scene. pic.twitter.com/ULowgQWgyA
— People's City Council - Los Angeles (@PplsCityCouncil) September 1, 2020
A pretty large crowd is gathered at 109th and Budlong, the scene of a deadly deputy involved shooting today @BLMLA has called people to come out. Several @LASDHQ deputies are holding a line in front of the group as investigation continues. The latest on @CBSLA and #KCAL9 pic.twitter.com/1cVwVatrDC
— Lesley Marin (@lesleymarin) September 1, 2020
Lt. Dean confirmed an investigation is ongoing. Unlike the LAPD, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department does not currently require deputies to wear body cams, although they will be implemented this year.
"We still have to conduct our interviews of the investigating officers to see exactly what happened and transpired during the deputy-involved-shooting," Dean said when asked what prompted the use of deadly force.
"But if this individual was reaching for a semi-automatic handgun, I would suggest that, you know, that's probably why deadly force was important."
It's unclear what vehicle code the man violated while riding his bike.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has been contacted for an update.
Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.
