Gunman prompted shooting, Inglewood police say
They are seeking a man who allegedly pointed a weapon at officers before they killed an unarmed car passenger.
Inglewood police officials said today that they were looking for a gunman who they believe prompted two police officers to fatally shoot an unarmed passenger in an approaching car.
The officers fired multiple times at the car in a parking lot near Crenshaw Boulevard and 8th Avenue about 1:40 a.m. Sunday, killing the passenger, Michael Byoune, 19, and wounding the driver, Larry White, 19, police said. A third person in the car was not hurt.
No weapons were found at the scene, and no one has been arrested or charged in the incident.
The two officers, whose identities have not been released, heard gunshots while patrolling the neighborhood before the confrontation, officials said today during a news conference at the police station.
Three independent witnesses told investigators that they saw a man standing in the parking lot pointing a gun in the direction of the officers before the fatal shooting, said Capt. Eve Irvine. Expended rounds that did not come from the officers' weapons were found in the parking lot, she said.
Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks expressed condolences to the family of the victim and the injured man. But she said it would be "preliminary and a judgment the facts don't support" to say that the shooting may have been a mistake.
"As the chief of police I want to assure you all that our investigation will be objective and comprehensive," said Seabrooks, who was appointed chief last year.
The two officers were in their patrol car near the intersection when they heard gunfire and pursued a man who was running, said Sgt. Hector Ramirez.
The man jumped into a slow-moving car in the 3000 block of Manchester Boulevard, and the officers heard more shots and felt something hit their cruiser, Ramirez said. The officers then fired several shots as the vehicle came toward them, according to police.
Byoune died at the scene of gunshot wounds to the torso, said Los Angeles County coroner's investigator Jerry McKibben. White is in stable condition with a leg wound.
The third man in the car was taken into custody, questioned and released, police said. .
Police Sgt. Dennis Brown later said the patrol car had not been hit by gunfire. Investigators initially indicated that the incident might have been gang-related, but later said the three men were not suspected gang members.
