Police Inquiry Clears 2 Officers in Woman’s Slaying

Closing yet another chapter in the controversial police shooting of a knife-wielding single mother last year, the Los Angeles Police Commission has ruled that the two officers who shot Sonji Taylor acted within department policy.

The decision, announced Tuesday, came nearly a year after the Dec. 16, 1993, death of the 27-year-old Taylor, shot nine times on the roof of St. Vincent Medical Center as she babbled incoherently and threatened her 3-year-old son with a knife.

The seven officers who responded to the call managed to free the sobbing toddler by shooting pepper spray into Taylor’s face. But as they pulled the child to safety, police said, the woman lunged at one of the officers with a 12-inch knife blade and they were forced to shoot her.

Singled out in the investigation were Sgt. Michael Long, 44, and Officer Craig Liedahl, 41, who fired the bullets that killed Taylor. In the aftermath, the woman’s family sharply criticized them and the police force, saying that Taylor died as a result of excessive force.

Later, the case sparked intense publicity when autopsy reports revealed that Taylor, whom the officers contended attacked them head-on, had seven bullet wounds in her back.

This issue was also raised in a report issued in September by the district attorney’s office, which raised “the possibility . . . that the officers are not being truthful about their actions that evening.” Nonetheless, prosecutors determined that the fusillade could have spun Taylor’s body as she fell, causing her to be hit in the back.

They concluded that the shooting, while tragic, was not criminal in nature and no charges were filed.

This week’s announcement by the police commission marked the end of the LAPD’s departmental probe, and the formal conclusion echoed the district attorney’s report.

At the recommendation of Police Chief Willie L. Williams, the panel found that the officers were forced to shoot because they feared for their lives.

However, the report is not the final chapter in the incident. The family has filed a $20-million claim against the city, which is preliminary to filing a lawsuit.