Times coverage: Baca orders faster probes of deputy-involved shootings

Darrick Collins, a 36-year-old black man, died on Monday, Sept. 14, after he was shot by Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies in the 1200 block of Poindexter Avenue in Athens, authorities said.

The following is an excerpt from full Times coverage of Collins' killing:

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca has ordered a quicker turnaround on department investigations into deputies who shoot unarmed suspects, a sheriff's spokesman said Thursday.

Investigations that typically dragged on for more than a year should be completed within 90 days to "provide better accountability to the communities served," said Steve Whitmore, a department spokesman.

Baca's move to speed up such probes coincides with his efforts to address concerns among community activists upset over a shooting Monday in Athens, in which a deputy shot and killed an unarmed man. On Wednesday, Baca announced that he was convening a panel of his top shooting experts to examine deputy-involved shootings and the tactics his officers use in such confrontations.

So far this year, Los Angeles County deputies have shot and killed 10 people, double the number during the same period last year.

Read the full story on deputy-involved shootings here.

-- Richard Winton

Photo: Darrick Collins holds his son, Darrick Collins Jr., in a family photo.

Follow The Homicide Report on Twitter @latimeshomicide.

Comments

[mike]

polices are always(most of the time) killing young innocent people for no reason and yet when their investigated cops are the innocent ones their the heroes but their not heroes.they need to stop thinking guns are toys and be more responsibles cause they arent heroes rigth now their villans for killing over 40 people just this year AND COUNTING.