The clock is ticking on the deadline to release the Ezell Ford autopsy results. Ford, a 25-year-old mentally ill black man, was unarmed when he was shot dead by LAPD officers in August. The autopsy is poised to be released this week — with a Wednesday deadline set by Mayor Eric Garcetti.
Police allege that on Aug. 11, Ford tackled one of the officers and attempted to grab his gun, prompting the officer to reach for a backup weapon and fire. The officer’s partner also shot at Ford, police said. A friend of Ford’s family who said she saw part of the incident, however, told the Los Angeles Times she didn’t see any struggle between the officers and Ford.
The release of the Ford report could come on the heels of an attack Sunday night on two LAPD officers. About 9:30 p.m., two LAPD officers were fired on in South L.A., spurring a citywide tactical alert as police launched a search. Neither officer was injured and one man was taken into custody. A search for the second gunman was called off early Monday.
Meanwhile, anger simmers over the delay in the release of the Ford autopsy report. An LAPD spokesman told The Times last month that investigations involving officer shootings usually take seven to eight months. The department argued that releasing information in the Ford case would affect the investigation underway.
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