"Asked to Take to Hospital..." US Police Shoot and Kill South Korean Male

Police: "Resisted with a weapon during attempted transfer for psychiatric treatment"
LA Korean Association demands bodycam release and issues statement

In Los Angeles (LA), California, USA, a Korean family called the police to take their Korean son in his 40s to the hospital, but the police shot the son, resulting in his death. The bereaved family claimed it was excessive police force.

According to NBC on the 4th (local time), the LA Police Department (LAPD) disclosed detailed information regarding the shooting of Yang, an armed man with a mental illness, on the outskirts of LA Koreatown two days earlier. Yang, who was shot, collapsed and was pronounced dead at the scene.

[Photo by Los Angeles Police Department X Capture]

According to the police, at the request of Yang's parents, employees of the LA County Department of Mental Health (DMH) attempted to transfer Yang to a mental health facility, but Yang refused. The DMH staff told the police that Yang had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and judged that he could pose a danger to others, so he needed to be kept under observation at the facility for 72 hours.

The police explained that when they arrived at the front door of Yang’s house and opened it, Yang approached them in the living room holding a weapon, and the police fired shots. The family, startled by the gunfire, asked about the situation, but the police only repeated "wait," and it was only after two hours that they confirmed the son's death. A weapon with a 6-inch (about 15 cm) blade was found at the scene.

The LAPD is reviewing body cameras worn by the officers to investigate whether the use of firearms was appropriate. Amid controversy over excessive police force, the police have not provided detailed explanations about the shooting incident.

On the 1st, police were on standby amid a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus. This is unrelated to the article content.
[Photo by Reuters]

Yang’s father, Yang Min, appealed in an interview with JTBC, saying, “How could the person who said in the morning that they needed to take the child to the hospital have known that the child would be shot and killed? I just think it was a senseless death.”

The Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in LA requested a thorough and fair investigation from the LA Police Department. The Korean community criticized the police. The LA Korean Association later issued a statement saying, "Just a few days ago, there was even a press conference with the DMH encouraging people experiencing mental difficulties not to hide but to actively seek help, so we cannot hide our devastation that such an incident occurred."

They added, "It is absolutely unacceptable that the police were called for help to treat a victim experiencing mental difficulties, and despite the officers dispatched to the scene being aware of the situation, the victim was killed by gunfire."

They also stated, "The LA Korean Association will actively demand the release of the body camera footage of the officers involved to understand the situation at the time and will demand a thorough investigation of all processes related to the incident."