Gates Calls Killing of Girl by Police Car a ‘Tragedy’

Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl F. Gates publicly offered condolences Monday to the family of a 3-year-old girl who was fatally struck by a police car as officers responded to a reported fight and gunshots in South-Central Los Angeles.

In a brief written statement, Gates said the initial investigation showed that “little Dominique Spears” of Inglewood was “running across the street” just after 10 p.m. Saturday when she was hit by a black-and-white cruiser carrying two officers.

While “a tremendous amount of investigative hours will go into reconstructing the sequence of events,” Gates’ statement continued, “one terrible conclusion is indelible:

“Her death is a heart-rending tragedy that will forever be vivid in the memories of those who witnessed the accident, those who loved her and those who were involved in the accident.”

His concern, Gates said, extends to the officers involved.

They were “endeavoring to protect life,” and “without warning (were) involved in the loss of the most cherished of lives--that of an innocent child,” the statement said.

The officers have not been identified publicly. Neither was injured, but both were said to be severely shaken and reportedly have sought counseling from Police Department psychologists.

The incident in the 900 block of West 64th Street was witnessed by Dominique’s mother, Bessie Wilson, and the child’s 11-year-old sister. Neither could be reached for comment Monday.

Residents of the neighborhood told reporters that Wilson had dropped the two girls off earlier in the day to visit friends and had returned to pick them up.

Dominique was with Wilson on one side of the street when she let go of her mother’s hand and darted toward her sister and another girl on the other side, said Dessie Henry, 44, a friend of the family.

The police car, which did not have its emergency lights and siren on, knocked the little girl almost a quarter of a mile down the block. She died at Martin Luther King Jr.-Drew Medical Center.

Estimates of the speed of the police car, gathered from officers and civilian witnesses, ranged from 25 to 40 m.p.h., police spokesman Cmdr. William Booth said Monday.

The officers were responding as backup to a radio call of fighting and shots fired a few blocks away, Booth said. They were not “driving under emergency circumstances,” he said.

The speed limit in residential areas in Los Angeles under normal circumstances is 25 m.p.h., Booth said.

Some people who said they saw the accident told reporters that the police car may have been traveling as fast as 50 m.p.h.

Henry said a crowd gathered at the accident scene Saturday night and many people expressed anger at the police officers. Her own daughter, she said, became angry with her when she let an officer use her telephone.

“They were upset that the officers weren’t cautious enough,” Henry told a reporter Monday after another of her daughters stalked off when Henry agreed to be interviewed. “I feel like (Dominique’s mother) could have been more cautious.”

Times Staff Writer John M. Glionna contributed to this story.