Another Unarmed Black Man Murdered In Cold Blood By LAPD

As developments continue to unfold in the case of Michael Brown in St. Louis, details are emerging about the police shooting to death of an unarmed, 24-year-old black man in South Los Angeles. A vigil in response to the incident was scheduled for Tuesday evening in Los Angeles, said Officer Jane Kim, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department. A woman who said she was the mother of the deceased told KTLA
that the victim's name was Ezell Ford. The woman, who said her name is Tritobia Ford, told KTLA that her son was lying on the ground and complying with police commands when police shot him three times. She said police would give her no information about the shooting.

A man who identified himself as a cousin of Ezell Ford told KTLA that every police officer in the area knows that Ford had "mental problems" and "complications." The man told KTLA that police shot Ezell Ford in the back, and that when Ford's mother approached police asking for information, they pulled out billy clubs.

The LAPD said in a statement that the incident will be reviewed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Justice System Integrity Division and other agencies. The incident took place at about 8:20 p.m. Monday night as officers conducted an investigative stop, according to the LAPD statement. During that stop, "a struggle ensued" and this resulted in an "officer-involved shooting," according to the statement.

The man underwent surgery at a local hospital and died.