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 The decision followed a tense administrative hearing into the
shooting death of 25-year-old Ezell Ford last Aug. 11. The five
commissioners briefly walked out of the hearing after sign-waving
activists began chanting.
One man was arrested outside the meeting room for interfering with a
police officer, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman said.
Los Angeles police officials say the two policemen shot Ford, who a
family lawyer has described as mentally challenged, after he
struggled with one patrolman and tried to grab an officer's
holstered gun.
Ford's death came days after the slaying of black teenager Michael
Brown by a white officer in Missouri, and touched off demonstrations
outside Los Angeles police headquarters.
The commission's ruling sends the matter back to the LAPD's Internal
Affairs division for further investigation. A decision on discipline
would ultimately rest with Chief Charlie Beck, who the Los Angeles
Times reported last week had determined that the two officers were
justified in their actions.
Investigators found evidence indicating Ford had struggled for
control of the gun of one of the patrolmen, the newspaper cited two
sources as saying.
"Nobody is above the law, everybody can make mistakes," Los Angeles
Mayor Eric Garcetti told an evening news conference. "Every life
matters, but due process matters as well."
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office is conducting its
own investigation into the matter and could decide to press charges
in the case.
Ford's family has filed two lawsuits over the incident, which came
during a time of heightened national scrutiny of police use of force
against minorities and the mentality ill.
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Following emotional remarks at the meeting, Ford's mother, Tritobia
Ford, expressed gratitude for the ruling but said she would continue
pushing for justice.
"In these coming months, we will ask some tough questions, we will
call to answer those responsible, and as God as my witness, I will
ask those who killed my precious boy to be brought to justice," Ford
told reporters.
Commission members found that one of the two officers involved in
the shooting violated policy in several areas: tactics, drawing of
his gun, and use of lethal force.
The commission said the second officer mostly adhered to policy but
should not have drawn his gun during the altercation.
(Reporting by Katherine Davis-Young; Additional reporting by Eric M.
Johnson; Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Peter Cooney, Sandra
Maler and Eric Walsh)
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