LOS ANGELES (AP) - Police fatally shot a homeless man on Skid Row during a "brutal" videotaped struggle in which a rookie officer cried out that the man had hold of his gun before three other officers opened fire, the Los Angeles police chief said Monday.
Chief Charlie Beck said video showed the man reaching toward the officer's waistband. The officer's gun was found partly cocked and jammed with a bullet in the chamber and another in the ejection port, indicating a struggle for the weapon.
"You can hear the young officer who was primarily engaged in the confrontation saying that "He has my gun. He has my gun,'" Beck said. "He says it several times, with conviction."
Beck's narrative of the shooting, including photos showing the condition of the gun, was rare 24 hours after an officer-involved shooting. It comes amid heightened attention to killings by police officers that have led to protests, some violent, across the country.
The shooting is being investigated by the police department's inspector general and the Los Angeles district attorney. Among the evidence are two videos shot by bystanders and two shot with cameras worn by a sergeant and another officer who fired their weapons.
"The video is disturbing," police spokesman Andrew Smith said. "It's disturbing any time anyone loses their life. It's a tragedy."
After the shooting, police are seen drawing their batons and warning an angry crowd to step back. Several people shouted at the officers, accusing them of going too far.
Witnesses said the man killed Sunday was known as "Africa," though they withheld his name. Smith said he had previous interactions with officers.
The shadowy video does not clearly the man's race, but witnesses said he was black, as was the officer whose gun was partly cocked.
Police were investigating a reported robbery when they tried to talk with the suspect and he refused to obey their commands and started fighting, Beck said.
On the video - which drew millions of views - six officers are at the scene. They begin wrestling with the man as he takes swings at them.
Two of the officers break away to subdue and handcuff a woman who had picked up one of their dropped batons.
The struggle becomes increasingly blurry and distant, but shouting can be heard, followed by five apparent gunshots.