There are many questions surrounding the performance of Los Angeles Sheriff's officers, including the issue of surveillance cameras.
In times when the performance of police agencies at the national level is under enormous public scrutiny, a case has arisen that has many Hispanics in the Los Angeles area outraged and demanding explanations.
Thursday afternoon-night, Los Angeles Sheriff's agents shot dead young Andrés Guardado outside a tin shop in Gardena, South Los Angeles.
Officers were patrolling the area when they approached Guardado, 18, allegedly carrying a gun. According to the police report, the young man would have run after seeing the agents, so the policemen started a short chase on foot with fatal outcome on the 400 block of Redondo Beach Boulevard.
Immediately there were complaints from relatives and acquaintances, who said that Guardado worked as a security guard for the body shop. On Friday, claims increased for the performance of the Los Angeles Sheriff's officers.
KCAL9 at 10p & CBS2 at 11p: The Family of Andres Guardado dispute the LA County Sheriff’s Department’s claim he armed and dangerous during Deputy Involved Shooting. pic.twitter.com/ONJSWI8WKO
– Jeff Nguyen (@jeffnguyen) June 20, 2020
"Even though this is the last day I breathe, I'm not going to stop, because I feel in my soul that my brother was murdered, "said Jennifer Guardado, Andrés' older sister, at an emotional impromptu press conference on the street where the deadly episode of Thursday occurred.
"I need justice. He was a good man. He was going to get ahead and become a good professional in life, but they took it from us. My parents are completely destroyed, "added Jennifer Guardado, who dared to say that his brother had no weapon and that someone "planted it".
Andres Guardado: A witness tells LA TACO that the 18-year-old was on his knees and unarmed when an LASD officer killed him. pic.twitter.com/Qh2lAqizmL
– THE. TACO 🌴🌮 (@LATACO) June 20, 2020
The authorities indicated that the young man did not have a security guard license and that he was not wearing a guard uniform, in addition to the fact that the pistol that they say was in his possession was not registered.
However, people close to the victim assure that he was simply scared and that is why he ran, and that the work of the two officers who chased him was unjustified.
In a petition published through the Change.com site, in which he is asked to show the video of the shooting, it is said that Guardado was shot seven times.
Georgena Laird, a neighbor of the place, told Los Angeles Times who heard the bullets. “When I heard the shots and went over to see who received them, he (Guardado) was already lying on the ground. This young man was charming, "said the 37-year-old woman., who revealed to the newspaper some gestures of kindness from Guardado with her and her husband.
The owner of the body shop, Andrew Heney, told Channel 9 KCAL that Guardado was a good employee with a clean record.
"We had security because we had some problems with people who 'defaced' and things like that, and then the police show up and take out their pistols, and he ran because he was scared and they shoot him and kill him"Said Heney, who described that Guardado was talking to two goats in a car when officers appeared showing their weapons.
According to the Manager, Andrew Haney, Andres was talking to a couple girls in their car when Sheriff’s drew guns, pursued, and killed Andres. Here’s him breaking it down. pic.twitter.com/oQyA8Gohrk
– Memo Torres (@el_tragon_de_LA) June 20, 2020
Guardado had two jobs, according to his relatives, in addition to studying at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, a community college located very close to downtown Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Community College District released a statement demanding a "full and independent investigation" into the death of your student:
"His death comes at a time of national demand for social justice and significant police reform regarding the use of lethal force by the authorities. ”
#LACCD mourns death of @LATTC student, joins call for investigation @LACityCollege @EastLACollege @lahcedu @lamcofficial @PierceCollegeCA @LAValleyCollege @LASCCampus @westlacollege @andra_hoffman @sveres @gabriel_buelna @ davidvela75 @ mikeinla7 @scottsvonkin @CalCommColleges pic.twitter.com/NLWg3llLB9
– LA Comm College Dist (@laccd) June 20, 2020
Noé Abarca, an uncle of Guardado, was one of the dozens of people who showed up on Friday at the scene of the shooting in Gardena, where flower arrangements, candles and signs demanding justice were placed, including one that said in English: "Andrés Guardado, 18 years old, killed by the police".
Abarca charged that the nearby surveillance cameras had already been taken by Los Angeles Sheriff's agents, which was confirmed by the owner of the body shop.
"We want justice," Abarca told the Los Angeles Times. "We want to know why they killed him."
