California Attorney Rob Bonta announced Friday that the state's Department of Justice will investigate the case of a man with a replica gun who was shot and killed by a police officer on Hollywood Boulevard on Thursday.
Under Assembly Bill 1506, the California DOJ is required to "investigate and review for potential criminal liability an officer-involved shooting," particularly when the shooting results "in the death of an unarmed civillian," Bonta's office said.
This is the first case the California Attorney General's office is investigating under AB 1506, which went into effect on July 1, 2021.
The state DOJ's California Police Shooting Investigation Team for Southern California deployed to the scene of the shooting on Thursday immediately after the Los Angeles Police Department gave notice of the incident. The California DOJ is investigating the shooting alongside the LAPD.
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"Once the investigation has been completed, it will be turned over to the California Department of Justice’s Special Prosecutions Section within the Criminal Law Division for independent review," Bonta's office said.
On Thursday, an LAPD officer responded to a call of a man armed with a gun on Hollywood Boulevard near Martel Avenue and Sunset Boulevard around 11:20 a.m.
It was not immediately clear what led to the shooting, but the man was shot by police and taken to a hospital, where he died of his wounds.
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The gun the man was carrying was a replica handgun, later found at the scene.
"Any loss of life is a tragedy,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Our hearts go out to all those involved in this devastating incident."
"We will take every step necessary to ensure a thorough, impartial investigation and review is completed," Bonta said. "Now, more than ever, we must work together in the spirit of this new law to build and maintain trust in our criminal justice system for all of our communities.”
