A crowd gathered outside the Pasadena Police Department Sunday evening for a demonstration in tribute to a man fatally shot by police the night before.
Family identified the deceased man as 32-year-old Anthony McClain, a father of three who was shot during a traffic stop near the intersection of Raymond Avenue and Grandview Street Saturday night.
“He’s like my son. That’s like my son laying right there … For him to die the way he died is senseless and there’s no excuse for it,” McClain’s Godmother Colyna Winbush said at the demonstration.
McClain and another man were pulled over for what police described as a vehicle code violation.
During the traffic stop, the passenger was uncooperative and then ran into the street while removing a firearm from his waistband, the Pasadena Police Department stated in its news release. The driver was cooperative, a department spokesperson told KTLA Monday.
An officer saw the weapon and opened fire, striking the man at least once in the upper body.
A handgun was recovered from the scene.
McClain’s godmother says he was shot in the back.
“If he’s fleeing from you … why would you shoot somebody in the back. That’s just a coward move across the board,” Winbush said.
The second man was arrested at the scene.
Body camera video obtained by KTLA Monday shows the moments after the shooting — when police deployed a taser and pepper spray. Police say they plan to release the part of the footage that shows the shooting later this week.
McClain’s son and the child’s mother, Kimberly Jenkins, stood among the crowd of mourners Sunday night.
“He’s a grandson, he’s somebody’s child. You just don’t shoot and kill people,” Jenkins said. “Justice needs to be served.”
Sunday night’s vigil turned confrontational after midnight when police say some of the remaining demonstrators began throwing bottles and rocks at officers.
One officer suffered a minor injury but was not taken to a hospital.
A demonstrator also suffered a minor injury after officers opened fire with less lethal projectiles, Montiglio said.
At one point, a man with a sign reading “Abolish Pasadena Police” confronted a line of officers.
No arrests were made, Montiglio said.
