Torrance Shooting

On Aug. 26 The Times published a brief synopsis of the Los Angeles County district attorney’s investigation into the fatal shooting of an intoxicated and armed man by a Torrance police officer. The article did not do justice to the circumstances surrounding the incident, nor did it accurately reflect the overall tone of the district attorney’s investigation. Permit me to clarify the items at issue.

You accurately reported that we responded to several 911 calls regarding gunfire and a possible burglary in progress. The officers did note that a side door of the residence had been kicked in and considerable damage to the door and doorjamb was noted. Officers were appropriately deployed in full uniform and were confronted by an intoxicated individual in possession of a .357-caliber, six-inch revolver cocked and pointed directly at an officer. At this point, the officer recognized the clear and present danger he was in.

The district attorney’s report states that while the discrepancy was in regards to which officer provided the appropriate identification and warning to drop the gun, an independent citizen substantiated that one of the officers identified himself and ordered the individual to drop the weapon prior to the shots being fired. The only item at issue that could not be resolved was which officer provided that order. Clearly, this is not a critical matter that would warrant a reference that “lingering questions over whether police had identified themselves” was at issue.

Also not included in the article was the fact that the individual had a blood-alcohol content of .25 (three times the legal degree of intoxication). It should also be noted that 27 live rounds of ammunition were recovered from the individual’s pockets.

JOSEPH C. DE LADURANTEY

Chief of Police

Torrance