Former OJ Attorney Challenges LA Sheriff's Account Of Dijon Kizzee Shooting

An independent autopsy into the police shooting of Los Angeles resident Dijon Kizzee said he was shot 15 times during the altercation with two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies. The autopsy was presented by the legal team representing Kizzee's family, who were very critical of the sheriff's office comments about the altercation.

Kizzee's family is being represented by attorney Carl Douglas, who served on the "Dream Team" of lawyers who defended O.J. Simpson in his 1995 murder trial, and civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who is also representing the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake, and Ahmaud Arbery.

Douglas and Crump spoke about the autopsy results during a press conference on Tuesday. The autopsy found Kizzee was struck multiple times in his back and arms as he was falling to the ground before the lethal shot struck one of his lungs.

“Some of those shots are elongated because Mr. Kizzee was on the ground when those grazing wounds were inflicted,” Douglas said during the press conference. “He did not die instantly. He was writhing on the ground in pain when officers opened up on him. You can tell by the audio of the shooting that there were three or four shots and then a pause, and 15 additional shots followed after that.”

Douglas also said their outline of events after speaking with witnesses and reviewing the evidence does not match up with the sheriff’s office. The attorneys said multiple witnesses told them Kizzee had nothing in his hands when he was shot by the deputies.

“I have spoken to several witnesses who confirm he did not have anything in his hands before he was shot,” Douglas said. “If you can look closely at the video you'll be able to see that whatever was in his hands that was dark in color that lands in the area where they say the gun was located fell well before the volley of shots opened up on him.”

Crump took it a step further, saying Kizzee was trying to surrender when he was shot.

“He tried to surrender to them. He put his hands in the air,” Crump said. “He put his hands in the air, dropped the bag, and they continued to shoot him, even though he posed no threat.”

During a press conference on Thursday, Sheriff’s Capt. Kent Wegener said the Aug. 31 altercation began after the two deputies stopped Kizzee for a traffic violation for riding his bicycle on the wrong side of the road. Kizzee refused to stop and the officers chased him. Reports say Kizzee stopped and approached the officers with his hands raised when he punched one officer in the face. Wegener said a loaded handgun belong to Kizzee fell to the ground during the fight, which Kizzee picked up and aimed at one of the officers.

“At one point, Kizzee’s pistol drops to the ground, he bends over, reaches, picks up the gun and is shot while he stands with the gun in hand,” Wegener said. The officers then fired about 20 shots at Kizzee striking him in the chest, back, arms, and hands before he was killed.

Sheriff Alex Villaneuva also released videos showing parts of the altercation during Thursday’s press conference, including the shooting itself. This drew strong backlash from Douglas on Tuesday who said the videos were simply a way to try and save face for the department.

“Witnesses confirmed that there was no effort at de-escalation,” Douglas said. “Ask Villanueva about that. Witnesses confirmed there were no warnings ever given. Ask Villanueva about that. This sideshow that he put forward last week was simply an effort to save his embattled skin.”