Authorities identify 16-year-old shot and killed by sheriff's deputies in Compton

The 16-year-old shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy Sunday afternoon in Compton was identified Monday as Avery Cody Jr.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Det. Steve Blagg said Cody had a loaded handgun when he was shot by a deputy on routine patrol. But an attorney for Cody’s family said the teen did not brandish a weapon and posed “no threat” to deputies or anyone else.

Attorney John E. Sweeney said Cody and a friend had just finished eating at a nearby McDonald’s when they were stopped by officers in an unmarked vehicle near the intersection of Poinsettia Avenue and Alondra Boulevard in Compton.

The officers "asked them to stop, they complied. They asked them to put their hands on the car, they complied,” Sweeney said.

When officers asked Cody and his friend to pull up their T-shirts, Cody ran for an unknown reason, Sweeney said. He said Cody ran about 20 or 25 feet and an officer shot him in the back. The confrontation occurred around 3:45 p.m.

Sweeney said he believes a nearby security camera may have recorded the incident. He said Cody was a student at Zinsmeyer Academy in Long Beach.

“This boy posed no threat. He was running away and he was gunned down in the streets of Compton. It’s just a horrible, horrible shooting. I’ve been doing these cases for over 25 years. ... and this is one of the most egregious officer-involved shootings I’ve ever seen,” Sweeney said.

Blagg said that he would not respond to Sweeney's comments and that the shooting is still under investigation.

-- Nicole Santa Cruz and Ari B. Bloomekatz

Comments

[Justified]

I recommend an amendment to the Constitution: anyone running from a cop can be justifiably shot and killed. If they're in a car they can be hit with a stinger missilel. Think it would pass?

[Sherry]

When is enough enough...he didn't "brandish" a gun...WHY did he have one. Also, the school he attended is a nonpublic school...so either he had an IEP and acted so bad in public school he was kicked out, or he was mentally retarded...again WHY did he have a gun....My bet is that he was a jerk in regular school and got kicked out. I am disgusted that society always tries to blame the police...if you dont want to get into trouble-dont carry weapons and if you must-"MAN UP" when you get caught-don't run like a chicken, especially if you are special ed

[Jay]

Hooray for the brave deputies. Shooting an unarmed 16 year old in the back....To serve and protect, right?

[tanaS]

I remember a Hispanic kid who was killed by Compton PD in 1966. He and I went to the same school, Whaley Jr. High. He supposedly attacked an officer during a burglary..

[UnfortunateEvents]

Another tragic case of trigger happy police officers...

[Stephon]

FINALLY the real story

[SgtJohnMStryker]

Attorney Sweeney... You haven't seen nothing yet..... How about the deputy involved shooting that occurred about a month ago in Compton. That shooting happened at night.... The excuse used by the Department was listed in the Times report as "Suspicious Behavior".....and no gun was present..... Beat that one!

[Slim]

If the kid wasn't posing any threat or guilty of anything at all, then what did he run from the officer for?

[Suitor]

Had any person shot an intruder, or a similar scenario occurred, we would be in prison, and never gotten out.
This is murder. MURDER! No weapons, no threat. The kid simply ran and was shot in the back. On Christmas Eve!!
About 7 years ago in Pittsburgh, Pa. Some kids ran from a stolen car. A rear passenger, 13 year old Michael Ellerbe. The city paid 12 million to his family. Both cops walked.
However, a few years ago, the same cop Sam Nassan repeated another "shooting-murder", The cop has a history of shooting and beating human beings repeatedly, yet has never been charged.
He is being sued.

[Liz]

To Sherry, you dont know the kid or the real story as to what happened all of your comments sound like bunch of mess and its disrespectful to him and his family HOW DARE YOU. He didnt have a gun they never found anything. How dare you speak ill of the dead you didnt even know him. But regardless of how he acted in school does that make it right for the POLICE to shoot him in his back? of course not they are the cowards or chickens as you say in this situation. That was a kid he didnt pose any threat to a gun toating grown man. And for you to call him special ed come on now really you sound like you need to grow up and keep stupid comments like this to yourself.

[Nicole E.P.-B.]

To everyone who has posted a negative comment this is to you. If this was your family member you would be outrage by this so for you to say negative things about this young man you are wrong and you need to post another comment and apologize to his family. Now, for Ms. Sherry you are a JERK because you don't know him. Now just because he is black and young and in Compton does not make him a bad person because we all know that if this was a WHITE boy in a WHITE city and the same thing would have happen you would be talking about poor boy I feel for his family, but no you have to tear this young man down. I live in this city and know first hand how these sheriffs are. That man was wrong in every way because he was not in danger at all. He did not have to kill him. I am tired of these trigger happy crooked sheriffs all they do is harasses innocent people on a daily basis. So what that he ran, he feared for his life. It was either run or stay there and be harassed. These kids they knew what would have happen if they got in that police car, they would have taken them down a alley and harassed them and rough them up and let them go. Like I said this goes on on a daily basis. I don't blame Avery for running, I blame the Sheriff and the mayor of Compton Eric Peridon because he is not listening to his community about these sheriffs their contract was suppose to be over in January and they are still here and look what happen. How many more people do we have to lose before he does something? To the cop you are a MURDERER! You are suppose to SERVE and PROTECT, NOT SERVE TO KILL. My heart goes out to his father and his family stay strong and prayed up and justice will be served.

[Liz]

Mr. Justified i pose this question to you: if it were your son, or even if it were you would you pose a stupid law like that? I cant believe how ignorant some people can be. Shooting someone in the back is just plain old cowardness there is no other way to put. He was a kid and he got scared, and he ran. You have no idea what was going through his head when the situation was taking place. For you to leave a comment like that you arent any better that the trigger happy cop that did this to him.

[Socal]

I am amazed at how many of you witnessed this incident. You must have witnessed it. How else could all of you know what happened??

[shell]

To Sherry are you mentally retarded? Just because he did not attend public school does not mean he is retarded. How could you say that he was a jerk in school if you never meet him.Don't speak on someone you don't you or believe everything you see & hear on tv because its not always true.Avery was not retarded so you need to shut the hell up & learn the truth before you speak on someone.But i will continue to pray for the family which I will soon be apart of.Avery was my fiance cousin so I got the chance to meet him and for the short period of time that I did know him, he was a nice,funny,loving kid.The day before this tragic happened I got to spend part of the day with him so my last memory of him, he was laughing & smiling.Rest In Peace Lil Avery you are going to be missed....

[Tonja]

The officer saw what he felt was a gun, he approched the boys and asked them to raise their shirts, he saw the gun the boys took off running. No one deserves to be shot in the back. No 16yr old should even have a gun. If he wasn't attempting to do dirt he might still be alive. All teens need to realize that officers are trained to observe people. When you think you are doing something slick, someone is always going to see you, whether it be a cop or private citizen., someone going to see it. These kids think they have the uupper hand and that they know it all, they don't. Parents do you know where your teenagers are????

[Tonja]

Bottom line whether the teen had a gun or not, he ran, he should not have had the gun, The officer could have just followed him and observed, not start shooting. Although he ran he was no longer a threat to the officer
My condolences to the family,,,,
Get shot in the back get paid??!!

[Tonja]

To you Sherry, are you a personal friend of the family. how do you know the teen was special ed? and even if he was he still didn't deserve this. if he was a jerk he still didn't deserve this

[Ravy]

To everyone who has posted a negative comment towards my cousin Avery and our family, this is to you. If this was a member of of your family you would most likely be the first person to post a comment if someone spoke negavtively of them. It would be greatly appreciated if you would keep your negative comments to yourself. We need absolutely no one to try and tear our family down due to your negativity and unassured allegations. To Sherry, how could you be tha main person to talk about a person and say what they are, who they are, or what they are like. Im not sure how old you are, but let this have been your son or a member of your family, you be very hurt and disappointed. To everyone that posted a positive comment, thank you for understanding the incident and understanding what our family is going through. I grew up with Avery. He is a very nice, sweet, and loving person. He will be greatly missed, never be forgotten, and will forever live n our hearts.
R.I.P. LIL AVERY
WE LOVE AND MISS YOU VERY MUCH

[Ronbo]

Whether he was the sweetest kid in the world, a genius, a saint, none of that matters, nor did the officer know any of that. He was armed with a gun, he was running - he was a fleeing felon. Do we stop using deadly force against fleeing felons?

Of course not.

If the cop let him run, and the kid later shot someone (or passed the gun to someone who did), what would you think of the officer who had the chance and every reason to stop him cold?

The cop made a tough decision, in a split second, and I think the right one. It's a tragedy, but the unfortunate teen made bad choices, and was responsible for his own death. Hopefully others will learn from this that carrying a gun can get you killed.

[Joel Payne]

The so called officer that shot this kid in the back SHOULD be in JAIL right now........and should be charged with Capitol Murder.........I am white and terrified of police...Armed thugs.....

[copwatchla]

THE POLICE DEPT. ALWAYS TRIES TO JUSTIFY THEIR SHOOTINGS WITH POOR EXCUSES WHICH ANYONE CAN TELL IS COMPLETE B.S. JUST A COUPLE DAYS AGO WHEN THEY KILLED PLAYER JR IN ATHENS, IN THE BACK, FIRST THEY SAID THEY THOUGHT HE HAD A GUN, NO GUN WAS FOUND AT THE SCENE. THEY SHOT HIM IN THE BACK, HE ATTEMPTED TO GET UP, SO THEY SHOT HIM AGAIN. LATER THEY DISCOVERED THE CELL PHONE THAT WAS ON HIS WAIST AT THE SCENE. NO GUN. OFFICERS SAID THEY FIRED SHOTS BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT HE SHOT AT THEM. HOW DOES SOMEONE SHOOT AT YOU WITH A CELL PHONE? DO CELL PHONES HAVE LOUD "BANG" SOUND EFFECTS ON THEM AND DO THEY FLASH? THE AMAZING THING IS THEY GET AWAY WITH THESE LIES WHEN IT'S OBVIOUS THEY'RE MAKING THE WHOLE THING UP. DOWN WITH THE SHERIFFS , DOWN WITH THE POLICE STATE. SHOW 'EM NO LOVE. TAKE BACK THE BLOCK. PATROL THE POLICE. TAKE BACK THE COMMUNITY. NO PEACE UNTIL WE GET JUSTICE!!!

[Oleg]

The kid was not a threat. Yes, he might have had a gun and yes he might have been walking that fine line of putting himself and others in danger. But he was running away from the police not towards him! This cop was trained to observe, yes. But they are also trained to use good responsible judgment. The fact is, the cop gave the kid his own personal judgment and deprived him of a right to a fair trial. He went above the law and he needs to pay for it.