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His death comes
as police in the San Diego area released a videotape of a fatal
shooting by officers of another black man, 38-year-old Alfred
Olango, who died in El Cajon on Tuesday as he grappled with what
his mother said was a mental breakdown.
Friday's incident in Pasadena, and Olango's death after his
sister called 911 seeking help, highlight the risks of a system
that relies on police officers to respond to mental health
crises.
The slayings were the latest in a string of deaths of black men
caused by police officers in the United States that have led to
protests over racial bias in the American criminal justice
system.
Local broadcaster KTLA reported that Shainie Lindsay, who
identified herself as the man's partner and said she witnessed
the incident, said he was bipolar.
"He called the police on himself. He wanted help," Lindsay told
the TV station.
Pasadena Police officers came to the home regarding a "domestic
disturbance" early on Friday morning, the department said in a
statement. Police said officers encountered the man, whom they
have not identified, and said he refused orders to drop a knife
he was holding.
After a stun gun failed to subdue him, a fight ensued, Pasadena
police said. No shots were fired.
Officers saw he had stopped breathing as they were restraining
him and switched to a life-saving CPR procedure, the department
said. The man died at the scene.
Lindsay said after he was shot with a stun gun, the man tried to
move to a bedroom that he locked behind him. The officers pried
their way into the room and wrestled with him, kicking his head
and hitting him with a baton, she told KTLA.
"Then, after that, they was doing CPR and then he was dead,"
Linsday told KTLA.
A representative for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's
Department, Guillermina Saldana, said homicide detectives were
involved in the investigation.
(Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle; Editing by Cynthia
Osterman)
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