No Justice in the LAPD Killing of Brian Beaird
March 2, 2015 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
The night of December 13, 2013 was the last day of the life of Brian Beaird, who was a disabled veteran. After being chased by the police his car spun out of control and hit a tree and light pole. When Beaird got out of the car the cops fired a beanbag at him, causing him to stagger and bend over. Then, as he continued to walk with his arms up—three cops opened fire with a total of 21 shots. An investigation would later show that Beaird was hit with 13 rounds—three that were fatal and, based on the trajectory of the bullets, were fired when he was on the ground.
This was a clear case of unjustifiable homicide by LAPD that was seen by many people live on TV. After the city voted to pay a $5 million settle to the Beaird family, Beaird’s 80-year-old father, Billy Beaird, said “They shot my son in cold blood. I would not trade my son’s life for every nickel in LA. He means that much to me. I could not believe what I saw.”
Now, the IN-justice system has announced that three Los Angeles police officers will not face any criminal charges for shooting and killing Brian Beaird. Prosecutors admit that the shots that killed Beaird hit him as he fell or while he was on the ground. But they said there was “insufficient evidence” to prove the officers did not fire to defend themselves or someone else. So once again, the police shoot and kill in cold blood but there is NO INDICTMENT, NO CHARGES, and NO JUSTICE.
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