Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck disclosed in remarks published today that he has recommended criminal charges against an officer who killed an unarmed homeless man in Venice — the first time the chief has called for charges in a fatal on-duty shooting.
LAPD investigators concluded that Brendon Glenn was on his stomach, attempting to push himself off the ground, when Officer Clifford Proctor stepped back and fired twice, hitting the 29-year-old in the back, Beck told the Los Angeles Times.
After reviewing video, witness accounts and other evidence, investigators determined Glenn was not trying to take either Proctor’s gun or his partner’s weapon, the chief said. Proctor’s partner told investigators he did not know why the officer opened fire, according to The Times.
The shooting on May 5 came amid a strident national conversation about police and the use of force, particularly against African American men. Glenn was black, as is Proctor.
Beck said he made his recommendation to Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey last month when the LAPD handed over its investigation to prosecutors. He said he has suggested that prosecutors file charges against officers in other cases but never for a fatal on-duty shooting.
It is now up to Lacey and her office to decide whether to bring a case against Proctor. Los Angeles County prosecutors have not charged a law enforcement officer for an on-duty shooting in 15 years, according to The Times.
Proctor’s attorney, Larry Hanna, defended his client’s decision to shoot, saying he saw Glenn going for his partner’s gun — even if his partner may not have realized it, The Times reported. Although a security camera captured the events leading up to the shooting, Hanna said, both of Glenn’s hands could not be seen for the entirety of the recording.
Hanna accused LAPD brass of making a “political decision,” saying the chief spoke too early about the case last year when he publicly questioned Proctor’s actions just hours after the shooting. But the attorney said he believes Lacey’s office will “make the right decision” and decline to file charges against the officer.
