A march and rally are planned for Saturday, January 16, in support of justice for Noel Aguilar, killed by Los Angeles Sheriffs Deputies in May of 2014. Initial news reports stated that Aguilar had shot one of the deputies and was then shot by the officer’s partner. Newly released video however has called the officers’ account into question.
Friends and family of Aguilar say that witnesses to the shooting told them that Aguilar was unjustly shot in the back prior to the video’s discovery. According to KPCC radio in Los Angeles, the video was shot by a bystander who dropped it off anonymously at the office of Humberto Guizar, the attorney for Aguilar’s family. The video, which is graphic, is below the fold.
Police accounts state that Aguilar “was a known gang member” in the Long Beach area who was riding his bike on the morning of May 26, 2014. Police have not said why they initiated a stop of Aguilar; they stated that a chase began and Aguilar was apprehended in an alley of an apartment complex where a struggle ensued. Police initially said that Aguilar produced a weapon during the struggle and shot Deputy Albert Murad. After that, the sheriffs department then changed their story to say that Aguilar was reaching for the deputy’s gun. On the video, Deputy Jose Ruiz is seen dropping a weapon, recovering it and placing his hand—with the gun—underneath Aguilar as the men continue to struggle.
A shot is heard and Deputy Murad screams “I’m shot.” The men continue to struggle and ask Aguilar “where’s the gun?” Aguilar can be heard/seen saying “I don’t have a gun, I didn’t shoot nobody.” Deputy Ruiz appears to then place the gun in Aguilar’s back/stomach where another shot is heard. After this second shot Deputy Murad, still wounded and needing assistance, can be seen attempting to place a gun under Aguilar’s body, then, Murad removes his weapon and fires three shots at point blank range into Aguilar’s back. The Los Angeles district attorney declined to bring charges against the officers. The reason stated was that the officer’s actions were considered “reasonable.”
Organizers of Saturday’s march and rally say they will congregate in Long Beach near where Aguilar was shot but will be marching to Compton City Hall a few miles away. According to organizer Damion Ramirez, the deputies that “murdered Aguilar are from the Compton station and they have a history of brutality.”
Pssst … Hey, Damion … it ain’t just Compton …
“We’re going to get loud and let our voices be heard, we need to show Murad and Ruiz that we want them prosecuted for murdering Noel Aguilar,” stated Mary Herrera, Aguilar’s fiance’, in a Facebook posting. “My daughter needs justice for her daddy and his mother need justice for her son.”