A shocking video of a police shooting in Los Angeles went viral after being posted to Facebook by people who want to build more outrage against the police force.
It has set the internet ablaze and was the leading story of the night for NBC Nightly News. Though NBC couldn’t, or wouldn’t, show you everything.
After the shots were taken, witnesses are then heard shouting profanities at the officers and accusing the officers of being cowards because the officers outnumbered the homeless man.
Anthony Blackburn, the man making the recording, can be heard singling out an officer who happened to be black. He claimed the officer was the man responsible for the fatal shooting.
He called the officer a “sellout” and, as the crowd grew and became more hostile, police yellow tape was posted and officers stood in lines with their batons at the ready.
NBC, instead, focused on sharing the negative thoughts of two black women who may not have even been at the scene.
There is now a growing makeshift memorial that members of the community are putting together to honor a man that was known to have a multitude of mental health issues. He had only recently been released from a 10-year stint in a mental health facility a few months prior.
Officers, who had extensive training in dealing with those with mental difficulties, were dispatched to the area referred to as “skid row” to investigate a report of a robbery. They came upon a man believed to be a suspect and attempted to take him into custody.
In the video, the homeless man, identified by bystanders as "Brother Africa," immediately resisted, throwing punches at the officers, and was quickly wrestled to the ground. The officers tased Africa, though it had little effect.
During the scuffle you can hear an officer calling out, “Drop the gun. Drop the gun. He has my gun.” The officers then drew their weapons and opened fire to neutralize the threat.
Paramedics declared Africa dead at the scene.
Below you will find the original recording that brought attention to the shooting.
WARNING: The video below is graphic and filled with profanity.