After a man and woman were found unconcious by police before unknown events led to police shooting them to death, family members were demanding answers. Lolita Lopez reports for the NBC4 News at 6 on Monday, Feb. 29, 2016.
A week after police shot and killed a man and woman in a car in Inglewood, family members were demanding answers Monday at a protest.
Relatives of the woman, identified as Kisha Michael, were asking for clarity on specifically what happened in the 45 minutes between when police responded and when the shooting happened.
Michael, 31, a single mother of three sons, and Marquintan Sandlin, 32, a single father of four daughters, were both killed in the confrontation.
Police responded to a call at 3:11 a.m. Sunday of an occupied car stopped facing westbound traffic in lanes. Police said that Michael had a firearm, and officers took cover before ordering Michael and Sandlin out of the car. It wasn't clear what occurred that led police to open fire.
On Tuesday, Inglewood Mayor James Butts spoke to the community about the fact that police said the two were unconscious when officers first arrived at the car in lanes at Manchester Boulevard and Inglewood Avenue.
Officers tried to "rouse" the two for 45 minutes, Butts said.
A week after the shooting, family members say it's troubling that they still don't know what happened to result in the shooting death of the two.
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"Why call SWAT for backup?" Lola Sewell, Michael's cousin, said. "Why not call the paramedics to see if they are breathing, if they are OK?"
Family said both Michael and Sandlin have had their troubles with the law but add they were hardworking single parents trying to overcome their pasts.
Michael's twin said the family hired attorneys from the well-known Cochran Firm. Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. famously lead the defense team in O.J. Simpson's acquittal during his 1994-95 trial.
The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office said it will review this case as is done for all officer-involved shooting cases.
"For her life to be taken like this...we don't know why," Virginia Sewell, Michael's aunt, said.
