The autopsy of an unarmed man shot and killed by the LAPD in August has finally been released.
Ezell Ford, 25, reportedly got into a confrontation with two officers on Aug. 11. According to KTLA, the officers attempted an "investigative stop" on the mentally Ford when a fight broke out. The LAPD insists that Ford reached for one of the officer's weapons, and the struggle culminated with Ford being fatally shot. According to the Los Angeles Times, Ford was shot three times:
The autopsy of Ezell Ford, killed by police in South Los Angeles this summer, shows he was shot three times -- once in the right side, once in the right back and once in the right arm.
The release of the autopsy marked the first time authorities have provided details about Ezell Ford Jr.'s wounds since his death.
The gunshot wound on his back showed the surrounding skin has muzzle imprint, according to the autopsy, which said the back and side gunshot wounds were fatal.
The Times reports that the autopsy includes no narrative of what happened that night, nor does it mention how the officers conducted themselves.
A hold had been placed on the release of Ford's autopsy, but last month, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti ordered that it be made public by the end of the year. The Times adds that Charlie Beck, chief of the LAPD, said it was withheld so as not to influence witness statements:
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said the hold was designed to ensure that any witness statements about the fatal encounter between Ford and two veteran gang officers were not influenced by information released publicly about the shooting. Despite repeated public pleas, police officials said investigators had trouble finding people who saw the shooting.
