Teen Killed by LAPD Brandished Gun, Chief Charlie Beck Says

The fatal police shooting of a teenager in South LA that led to two days of protests over the weekend was triggered by the 18-year-old. who was holding a gun when he turned toward the officers pursuing him, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said Monday.

According to Beck, the man was carrying a handgun in his left hand when he turned toward the officers, forcing them to open fire. The teenager had been a passenger in a suspected stolen vehicle that gave chase when police tried to pull over the driver. The Teen, identified as Carnell "C.J." Snell by friends and family, had exited the car and was running toward his house when he was shot, his relatives told reporters at the scene.

His death, one of two deadly police shootings in South LA over the weekend, sparked protests in a city already roiled by a string of deadly encounters between police officers and black men this year. For months, protesters have been calling for Beck's ousting over the high-profile incidents.

Snell's shooting was reported at 1 p.m. Saturday in the area of 107th Street and Western Avenue, LAPD Officer Drake Madison said. A handgun was recovered at the scene, police officials said immediately after the shooting..

"Officers observed a vehicle that had paper plates that could be possibly stolen," LAPD Sgt. Barry Montgomery said. "They initiated or attempted to initiate an investigative stop. That vehicle failed to yield and the officers showed themselves in pursuit."

Officers followed the vehicle to Western Avenue and 106th Street, Montgomery said. "A male passenger exited that vehicle and fled on foot. The officers gave chase, a foot pursuit, and went eastbound at some point on 107th Street to the rear of a residence. And it was at that time that the officer- involved shooting occurred."

People who called themselves relatives of the dead man identified him in news reports as 18-year-old Carnell "C.J." Snell, who they say lived on the street where he was shot. Snell's mother, Monique Morgan told reporters police would not allow her to see his body. "Please let me see my baby," Morgan said.

About 50 people staged a demonstration against the officer-involved shooting starting at about 7 p.m. at 108th Street and Western Avenue.
Some demonstrators blocked the intersection as LAPD officers watched. The protest was peaceful. A group of 30-40 protesters showed next up at 10:30 p.m. outside Mayor Eric Garcetti's home at 6th Street and Irvine Boulevard in Hancock Park, according to Detective B. Hardy of the Los Angeles Police Department's Olympic Station.

"This is a critical point in relations between the police and South L.A. residents given the rising incidences of deadly force in suspect and civilian encounters," Los Angeles Urban Roundtable president Earl Ofari Hutchinson said.

City News Service contributed to this report.