Protests erupt after deputies fatally shoot Black man in South Los Angeles

Protests erupted in Los Angeles on Monday after a Black man was fatally shot by sheriff’s deputies in the city’s Westmont area, according to multiple reports.

The man was seen riding a bicycle Monday afternoon and allegedly violated a vehicle code, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Officials alleged that he ran after deputies pursued him. 

The sheriff’s office said Monday that the man was holding some “clothing items” in his hand as deputies made contact. He allegedly punched one officer in the face before dropping the bundle, and deputies said that a black semi-automatic handgun was among the items he dropped.

Two deputies opened fire and the man, who was in his 30s, was struck multiple times. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The man’s family identified him as Dijon Kizzee.

Video that circulated on social media appeared to show deputies running after a Black man appearing to be carrying a pile of clothing, the Los Angeles Times reported. Deputies are later seen with their guns drawn at the man, who is motionless on the ground. 

Over 100 protesters gathered at a sheriff’s station on Imperial Highway in Los Angeles, according to The Associated Press. They chanted “Say his name” and “No justice, no peace.”

Protests also broke out at the scene of the shooting, with demonstrators kneeling and chanting “this is what America looks like,” “these racist cops have got to go” and “no justice, no peace,” according to Los Angeles’s KTLA 5.

The demonstrations come as protests have continued across the country for months over the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery and the police shooting of Jacob Blake, among other Black Americans.