Roketi Su'e, 46

Long Beach: Roketi Su`e, a 46-year-old Samoan man, was shot and killed by police officers in the 3400 block of East 67th Street about 7 p.m. Saturday, May 17. He was taken to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

According to a Long Beach police statement, officers responded to several calls from residents in the neighborhood about a man who was acting violently and erractically. When they arrived at the scene, officers saw Su`e and tried to arrest him, police said. The officers were then involved in a  "physical altercation" with Su`e, according to the statement. The officers used their batons to gain control of Su`e but were unable to.  Fearing for their lives, one of the officers shot Su`e multiple times in the torso, the statement said.  Shortly after the shooting, officers were confronted by at least 40 people. Additional units arrived to assist the officers, and police were able to take control of the situation, according to the statement. Police said the L.A. County coroner's office will determine whether Su'e was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Anyone with information about the incident can call Long Beach homicide detectives at (562) 570-7244. Above: A family photo of Roketi Su`e

Update: Members of the Samoan community of Long Beach gathered Tuesday to denounce the shooting of Su'e. 

Comments

[30's the new 20]

This is becoming more and more common.....Police shooting unarmed people. RIP

[CONCERNED CITIZEN]

THE OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTINGS ARE BECOMING ALL TO COMMON AND IT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A CONSEQUENCE TO THEIR ACTIONS. COMMUNITIES NEED TO GET TOGETHER AND SPEAK OUT BEFORE THE VICTIM OF THE POLICE IS ONE OF YOUR OWN.

[tragicone]

This is sad my prayers to his family and friends

[A Mother]

This is quite a different story from what eyewitnesses are telling. Across the board they are all telling the same story, that this man was offering no resistance and they continued to beat him while he was on the ground and then shot him multiple times, paused and then shot some more. Eyewitnesses were of different races, genders and ages so I do not think they got together in some kind of conspiracy to get the police. A little boy gave quite a descriptive narrative of what he saw. I find it hard to believe that all of these people are lying or as in Rodney King "they didn't see what they thought they saw". Of course the usual "officers feared for their lives" will make this shooting in policy and that will be the end of that, except for the family. The news reported this man had cancer and was dying, he weighed around 125 lbs. Why were these cops not able to handle this situation without it terminating in the death of Mr. Su`e? The coroner is testing Mr. Su`e for drugs, perhaps they need to do drug tests on everybody involved whenever there is a shooting like this.

I extend my condolences to the family. I know this is devastating for you and words cannot even begin to give you the comfort you need.

[Peter Young]

If a mentally disturbed person was acting out in my neighborhood, the last people on earth I would call would be the police for fear they'd kill the person.

[67thstreetresidentfor17years]

I just dont understand..the're some statements from the police officers who knew him (from previous neighborhood disturbance calls) that say that he was never a threat. They would just say "Go home rocky!" Then he would at that was it. Another thing that really gets to me is that they had so many other ways to go about handling this situation. Was this officer not trained right? Was this officer a rookie? I mean c'mon Roketi never harmed anyone. He loved kids, he new all of the neighbors on the entire block. He was harmless. I mean we all have our own issues and we all deal with them in different ways. He had his ways (venting out loud and talking to himself.)
All I know is that the Lord will have his ways with this!
Rest In Peace Uncle Roketi!
Love you!

[Robert Sampson]

One of the tragedies that comes to light is the disconnect between the Long Beach Police Department and the diverse community it seeks to serve. Whether they like it or not, the Long Beach Police Department has taken an attitude of "them" versus "us." Even more important the community does the same.

Although the city of Long beach will boast of having an African-American police chief, many persons of color will tell you that it has never translated into better community relations.

While the officers may be adept in their training to pursue the criminal element, they lack the skills to outreach to the citizens or at least to citizens of color. Long Beach has remained very provincial. It seeks to keep the status quo. Look at the displacement or demographics of its large ethnic population. The resources are separate and unequal. Many parts of the city are undeserved.

The mentally ill are treated differently in other parts of the city. The 911 call stated, clearly, the victim was acting suicidal. Where were the mental health or PET teams? This city receives a lot of federal, state and county funding for programs that do little to meet the needs of the residents they say they will serve. Where were the community oriented policing teams?

Long Beach needs to take a hard look at where it is going. It will not be able to "police" itself out of its lack of sensitivity to a population of residents it chooses to ignore. And please no candlelight vigils, civil rights shows or ministers asking for calmness and understanding!!! Long Beach requires deep and thoughtful change. In fact, commit the same effort to meeting the needs of this diverse community that you do to the ports, airport, and the vast redevelopment efforts you have undertaken.

There is a price our communities pay when the citizens are not encouraged and invited to be a part of the city in which they live.

Don't let the death of Roketi Su`e go in vain. He deserved much better. Long Beach failed him. We all did.