Death of Latasha Harlins
| Latasha Harlins | |
|---|---|
Latasha Harlins
|
|
| Born |
Latasha Harlins July 14, 1975 East St. Louis, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | March 16, 1991 (aged 15) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Gunshot |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Harly |
| Education | Westchester High School |
| Occupation | Student |
Latasha Harlins (July 14, 1975 – March 16, 1991) was a 15-year-old African-American teenage girl who was shot in the head by Soon Ja Du (Hangul: 두순자), a 51-year-old female store owner from South Korea, who was tried and convicted of voluntary manslaughter in Harlins' death. Harlins was a student at Westchester High School in Los Angeles. Harlins' death came 13 days after the videotaped beating of Rodney King. Du was fined $500 and sentenced to five years of probation and 400 hours of community service but no prison time for her crime. Some cited the shooting as one of the causes of the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
Du's store, Empire Liquor, located in South Los Angeles, was normally staffed by Du's husband and son. However, on the morning of the shooting, Du was working behind the counter, and her husband was outside resting in the family's van.
Du observed Harlins putting a bottle of orange juice in her backpack. Police say that Du erroneously concluded Harlins was attempting to steal, and did not see the money Harlins held in her hand. The police reached this conclusion after speaking with the two eyewitnesses present and viewing the videotape of the incident, recorded by a store security camera. The videotape showed that Du grabbed Harlins by her sweater and snatched her backpack. Harlins then struck Du with her fist three times, knocking Du to the ground. After Harlins backed away, Du threw a stool at her. Harlins then picked up the orange juice bottle that dropped during the scuffle, threw it on the counter and turned to leave. Du reached under the counter, retrieved a handgun, and fired at Harlins from behind at a distance of about three feet (one meter). The gunshot struck Harlins in the back of the head, killing her instantly. Du's husband, Billy Heung Ki Du, heard the gunshot and rushed into the store. After speaking to his wife, who asked for the whereabouts of Harlins before fainting, he dialed 9-1-1 to report an alleged holdup.
Du testified on her own behalf, claiming that the shooting was in self-defense and that she believed her life was in danger. But her testimony was contradicted by the statements of the two witnesses present at the time, and the store's security camera video which showed Du shooting Harlins in the back of the head as the teenager turned away from Du and attempted to leave the store. The Los Angeles Police Department ballistics report also found that the handgun Du used was altered in such a way that compared to an ordinary handgun, it required much less pressure on the trigger to fire.
...
Wikipedia