The US Department of Justice will undertake a "comprehensive review" of the San Francisco Police Department following a fatal police shooting in December of a young black man, the video footage of which contradicted the initial police account.
The review, to be announced Monday by federal and local officials, will be conducted by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The Department of Justice (DOJ) agency is "responsible for advancing the practice of community policing."
he review comes following the fatal shooting on Dec. 2 of Mario Woods, 26, who was gunned down when five San Francisco police officers fired 21 bullets in the city's Bayview neighborhood. Video of the encounter shows officers confronting Woods after the young man was suspected of stabbing another man in the left bicep.
Police later claimed officers ordered Woods to drop the kitchen knife he was allegedly holding, but Woods refused. Police used pepper spray and beanbag rounds to subdue the suspect. Officers said they only resorted to their firearms when Woods moved towards an officer, yet the video also shows that Woods was struggling to walk, with his arms at his sides, as officers surrounded him. The video doesn't appear to show him holding a knife.
Woods' mother said her son suffered from mental health issues, but was making strides to work through them.
"He fought past them. He was supposed to start UPS today. He got his uniform," Gwen Woods told KGO-TV in early December.
INC News, 01/02/2016 - source: RTNews
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