Police Commission rules LAPD shooting of mentally ill man was not justified
Two Los Angeles police officers violated department rules on lethal force by shooting and killing a schizophrenic man who barricaded himself in a cramped kitchen as officers ordered him to drop his knife, the LAPD's civilian Police Commission ruled Tuesday.
The decision marked the second time in recent weeks the commission found that city officers were not facing an imminent threat when they used force against someone in the throes of a mental health crisis.
Furthermore, officials concluded that the officers' attempts in January to coax Takar Smith out of the kitchen were undermined by a combination of poor planning, questionable tactics and a disregard for protocols that direct officers to summon the department's mental health unit for such occasions.
The incident came after Smith's wife, Shameka, called police on Jan. 2 to
