Deputy Chief Gabriella Kennedy of the LSPD has issued a press release in response to Shout News’ report on a shootout between police and public at Los Santos’ Legion Square. The original Shout News report detailed the original incident, which happened when police confronted a pop-up car show event hosted by nautical tour company Float N Soak. The event, a car show, was broken up by gunfire and violence after police began local towing vehicles off the sidewalk. The statement, issued by Deputy Chief Kennedy, details the police’ point-of-view of the incident.
The statement contradicts eyewitness testimony from the incident, which indicated that civilians had been shot in the cross fire on scene and were denied medical treatment by police. UPDATE – July 1 9:23PM: Shout News reached out for comment on discrepancies and the use of lethal force, and received a prompt response from Deputy Chief Kennedy, which has been added to the bottom of the previous press release.
On Sunday June 23rd 2024 at approximately 4:30 P.M. ET, officers responded to an event and arrived at the scene to find over 15 illegally parked vehicles causing significant obstruction in a high-traffic area. Concerned for public safety, officers kindly requested that attendees relocate their event to a nearby parking lot. The chosen location was particularly dangerous due to the potential for high-speed pursuits.
Despite the officers’ request and a 20-minute grace period provided to attendees for relocation, the vehicles remained in place. Consequently, officers initiated the process of calling local tow trucks to remove the illegally parked cars.
During the towing operation, an individual on the scene unexpectedly pulled a firearm on an officer which caused a stand off between them and officers before the suspect opened fire. The immediate response by law enforcement ensured that the situation was swiftly contained.
All suspects involved in the incident were promptly apprehended by the responding officers, treated on scene and later at Pillbox Medical Center. At no point during the incident did any bystanders inform officers on the scene that they were struck or in need of medical attention. This has been confirmed through the initial investigation and interactions with individuals present at the scene.
Response to Eyewitness Claims of Denied Medical Attention
We take all reports of denied medical attention very seriously. Our priority is always the safety and well-being of all individuals involved. After reviewing the full incident report and speaking with the officers on scene, there was no mention of anyone requesting medical assistance or stating they were injured. Civilians who were too close to the active scene were asked to leave the area for their safety as well as officer safety. At that time, no one spoke up stating they needed medical attention. If those eye witnesses would like to come in and make an official statement, I would be happy to personally look into this further to ensure protocol is being followed accordingly.
Response to Use of Live Ammunition
The decision to use live ammunition over non-lethal methods, such as a taser, is never made lightly and is based on the immediate assessment of the threat level by the responding officer. As mentioned in my statement, the suspect pulled a weapon on officers and opened fire first. Officers returned fire as their lives were at risk and they were actively being shot at.
Leave a Reply