Shooting of Ezell Ford
| Date | August 11, 2014 |
|---|---|
| Location | Florence, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Participants | Sharlton Wampler and Antonio Villegas (officers) Ezell Ford (death) |
| Deaths | Ezell Ford |
| Litigation | Ford's family file $75 million lawsuit against city of Los Angeles |
Ezell Ford, a 25-year-old African-American man, died from multiple gunshot wounds after being shot by Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers in Florence, Los Angeles, California on August 11, 2014. In the weeks and months that followed, Ford's shooting triggered multiple demonstrations and a lawsuit by Ford's family claiming $75 million in damages.
The officers and eyewitnesses offered competing accounts of the events surrounding the shooting, and an investigation by the LAPD's watchdog unit, Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners, concluded in June 2015 that one officer had been justified in the shooting, while the other officer was unjustified, had acted outside of LAPD policy, and had violated Ford's civil rights by detaining him.
Ezell Earl Ford (c. 1989 – August 11, 2014) was the oldest of seven children. At the time of his birth his parents, Tritobia and Edsell, were 16 and 17 years old respectively. His parents said in August 2014 they had been living in the same neighborhood for 15 years. Ford attended 66th Street Elementary, Marcus Garvey Elementary, Bethune Middle School, and Verbum Dei High School, which he left before completing a full term. As a child he played basketball, and wanted to play professionally and to study medicine. In his youth Ford suffered from asthma and difficulty breathing.
In September 2007 Ford was arrested on felony charges of carrying a loaded firearm and possession of marijuana with intent to sell. He argued the marijuana was for personal use, and in January 2008 the charge was reduced to a misdemeanor, for which he paid a small fine. He pleaded guilty to the firearm charge and was sentenced to 90 days in jail. In 2008 Ford was shot in the leg in a gang-related incident. A neighbor said that Ford was an innocent bystander in the shooting, and that his mental illness became more evident from then on. Ford also had a prior conviction for trespassing.
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