After his son was shot and killed in October, Fred Williams Jr. asked the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for the name of the deputy who pulled the trigger.
But sheriff’s officials refused to identify the deputy, making it nearly impossible for Williams to learn anything about him. Had he been in prior shootings? Was there a history of abuse?
“That’s exactly why me and my attorneys are pressing for the officer’s name: So we can dig into his background,” Williams said.
The secrecy Williams encountered is standard within the Sheriff’s Department, which routinely rejects requests from relatives of people who are shot, journalists and other members of the public to learn the names of deputies who open fire while on duty.
Read the full story at LATimes.com.