Sunday, the day after an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department shot and killed armed black teenager Carnell Snell Jr., two LAPD officers shot and killed an unidentified Hispanic teenager. It wasn’t until Thursday that the coroner identified the body as that of Daniel Enrique Perez.
Following the shooting death of Perez, witness Tiffany Peterson claimed she saw the officers shoot the teen, then open fire on him again after he was on the ground. Fortunately for the officers involved, they were wearing body cameras.
LAPD Police Chief Charlie Beck said the footage corroborates the officers’ account of the incident, and does not show Perez being shot on the ground.
Moreover, new evidence has emerged that paints a disturbing picture of Daniel Perez’s state of mind prior to his death.
According to Chief Beck, approximately twenty minutes before the shooting, Perez called 911, telling the operator that a man matching his own description was brandishing a firearm. When officers arrived, Perez allegedly pulled out a fake gun, having covered the orange tip with black marker or tape. Because the orange identifier was covered up, the officers believed Perez was pointing a real gun at them, and shot him.
Samuel Walker, a retired criminal justice professor, said that if a police officer feels an imminent threat to his life, he will shoot to kill because that’s what cops are trained to do. “Hitting them in the arm or leg, that only happens in the movies. It’s pure Hollywood,” Walker told ABC News.
In addition to the 911 call, Perez wrote a “farewell note” to his family, according to Beck, indicating a “desire to end his own life” at the hands of police.
Given the situation, it could only end one way. Perez appeared to pose an imminent threat, so he was shot.
Tiffany Peterson’s allegation regarding the cops shooting Perez on the ground brings to mind the Ferguson shooting, in which early eye-witness reports claimed “gentle giant” Michael Brown was surrendering with his hands up when he was shot.
Forensic evidence, as well as further testimony, proved that the “hands up, don’t shoot” narrative that had spread like wildfire was patently false–but it was too late. Social media provided individuals with the platform to quickly disseminate false information, and so, “hands up, don’t shoot” became a revolution.
In addition to the 911 call, Perez wrote a “farewell note” to his family, according to Beck, indicating a “desire to end his own life” at the hands of police.
Similarly, in the case of Keith Lamont Scott, immediate reactions on social media led to protests, which led to mass riots in Charlotte, North Carolina. These riots caused extensive property damage, and dozens of civilian and police injuries. As more evidence continues to come in regarding the incident, the more it looks like the officers involved behaved appropriately given the situation.
As Jonathan Swift wrote in 1710, “Falsehood flies, and the truth comes limping after it; so that when men come to be undeceived, it is too late; the jest is over, and the tale has had its effect.”
Fortunately, Peterson’s false claim about police cruelty didn’t fly across social media, so riots were avoided.