Sheriff's deputy shoots suspect in East L.A.; third incident of weekend

A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy shot and wounded a man Saturday night in East Los Angeles, the third deputy-involved shooting of the  weekend.

Authorities said the suspect pointed a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun at the deputy after a chase that ended about 9:30 p.m. Saturday in the 1000 block of South Townsend Avenue. The deputy shot the man in the chest.

The man, who has not been identified, was taken to a hospital, according to a news release from the Sheriff's Department. He's listed in stable condition and will be charged with assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, authorities said.

The two other shootings occurred Friday night.

Authorities said deputies were called to the 11200 block of Berendo Avenue in unincorporated Athens at 8:45 p.m. Friday after someone reported that a man with a gun had threatened her and their child.

Deputies saw a man matching the description driving about a block west of Imperial Highway and Vermont Avenue. The man fled after officers stopped his vehicle, and officers shot him multiple times after they "saw what they believed to be a weapon in the suspect's hand," authorities said. A weapon was found inside the man's car. He was declared dead at the scene.

Relatives and local civil rights leaders identified the deceased man as Woodrow Player Jr., 22, and said he had been affiliated with the East Coast Crips, served time in prison on a drug charge and was on parole when he was shot. Player's wife, 24-year-old Tyisha Player, said he was acquitted of a murder charge last year and had begun to turn his life around, including attending church and studying for his GED.

The civil rights leaders called for a federal investigation of the shooting. One witness, 35-year-old Shendall Duncan of Athens, said she saw deputies shoot Player three times in the back. Player attempted to keep running and was shot again, Duncan said.

Steve Whitmore, spokesman for the Sheriff's Department, promised a thorough review of the shooting and said "the suspect reached for his waistband and turned toward deputies."

"They, thinking they were going to be shot at, fired," Whitmore said.

About two hours after Player's shooting, a sheriff's deputy shot at a man near the intersection of East Florence and Compton Avenues. According to a news release from the Sheriff's Department, deputies stopped a vehicle for suspected traffic violations about 10:40 p.m. Friday and detained three occupants "when a fourth occupant, the front passenger, produced a small-caliber handgun."

A deputy shot once at the man and missed him. The man, identified as 23-year-old Maynor Guerra, ran away and tossed the gun before he was arrested, authorities said.

Last Sunday, 16-year-old Avery Cody Jr. was shot and killed by a sheriff's deputy who had stopped and questioned him in Compton. Authorities said Cody had a loaded handgun when he was shot, but an attorney for Cody's  family said the teen did not brandish a weapon and posed "no threat" to deputies or anyone else.

-- Ari B. Bloomekatz

Photo: Family and friends join in a prayer led by Eddie Jones of the LA Civil Rights Assn. across the street where Woodrow Player Jr., 22, was killed the night before near the corner of Berendo and Imperial Highway. Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[hurley]

get real civil rights leaders! all these gang bangers are getting off too easy. a cop protects himself from a person with a loaded gun and you claim this gang member didn't brandish it! how about don't carry a damn gun! come down on the crooks not the cops who are helping everyone. it comes down to the same phoney scapegoat, the race card!

[Andrew]

The idea that a shooting is unjustified just because someone didn't point the gun at the officer or shoot them first is ridiculous. Folks need to take some responsibility for themselves and for members of their communities. If you carry a gun down the street illegally, and if the police know you're armed, or if you resist the police, there is a high likelihood you will be shot. It's not a tragedy. It's the real world. Enough false outrage from supposed activists who don't even live in the areas they paradrop into for an hour, make a speech, and bail from forthwith. Pathetic.

[Derrick]

As a hispanic, college attending, Angelino living in Inglewood. I can not help but notice how my fellow youth are so weak and find themselves in the gang lifestyle. These are not real men. They are cowards, I have never approved of Inglewood's dirty harry approach to law enforcement, but I am so sick of gangs and crime that I really don't care anymore as long as the scum is off the streets. meanwhile, mexicans and others are making the rest of the good, american loving hispanic population look terrible. We have to keep fighting. This is exactly why I will go to law school in the day and be an LAPD officer at night in a few years.

[Michael]

Even if he wasn't carrying a weapon (which it appears he was), if he is so stupid that he needs to fix his belt when cops are yelling "hands up and turn around", needs to be shot, just to be removed from the gene pool.

[Rick P]

Same ol stuff. Good job LASO!!!!

[SteveLA]

Let's see how this plays out.

Convicted felon with a hand gun.

Brandishes gun it at a Sheriff.

Runs from Sheriff.

Gets shot and dies.

Where's the problem, one less gang banger on earth?

[Franj]

Let's see.... Out on parole but was carrying a weapon in his car. Sure, sounds like he was really turning his life around. RIght off... he was violating his parole.

[Pilar]

You white people who are posting comments regarding these events are truly amazing. For one thing, you know nothing of the dynamics between crooked cops and how they treat "most " minorities in these communities. In your opinion anyone the cops shot and kill, as long as they are not white, is justified. You are always quick to come to the defense of the police, of whom you don't even know. Instead of showing your ignorance why don't you keep your mouths shut about things you know nothing of...... Contrary to popular belief, you do not know everything.

[nat turner]

The man was killed because the cop believed he had a gun and could get away with killing him . The deceased thought he could use a gun for his thug activities and not get killed by the cop if he left the gun in the car as he ran away . One is an anti-social lawbreaker and murderor and the other is dead .

[Michael]

Amazing, Pilar can tell what an individual's race is and his/her biogtry and intellectual level just from a name and their statement. They disagree with me, must be white. Who is the ignorant bigot?

[Cris]

Great job LASD!!! The suspects actions speak for themselves. I grew up in East L.A. and still have respectable family their. Whenever I visit its always the same thing some shaved head gang banger doing something stupid. Don't blame the Deputies blame the parents of these idiots who didn't teach them how to be respectable citizens for their community. Educate your children and these problems won't arise. Wake up East L.A. your in a 1st world country but act like your in a 3rd world nation.

[Hussain Taylor]

THE RACE CARD DID NOT EXIST UNTIL WHITE PEOPLE CREATED IT.............IT IS AS AMERICAN AS APPLE PIE AND SLAVERY.

[Peter]

And his last name was "Player" ?

Enuf said here, people ?

[FamilyMember]

You never know the history of a person....this presumed gang banger saw his sister murdered when he was 9 years old. He never had therapy so he started getting into minor trouble at around 15. After he did a short stay a juvenile facility the cops became relentless. Instead of offering him rehabilitation or help that constantly harrassed him. His 18th birthday gift was a night in jail and it never stopped. They accused him of murder in 2008 and when he was aquitted the harrassed him even harder. They pulled him over and beat him pretty severely about a month ago....after this incident the family can't to thing "they finally got him". The LA County Sheriff's are the judge and jury and have been for a very long time.

....A concerned and hurt family member...

[erb]

What we have here is a failure to communicate....You're paroled out of PRISON, which means you're a CRIMINAL, you were carrying a GUN, which is really bad and could be potentially deadly to anybody, you get involved in a disturbance with that GUN, and you run from the POLICE...where did he go wrong...GED is not going to help him a bit.

[Time Out]

Maybe we could stop this gang member milling, if the county would step in and start protecting the children from parents that are active gang members.

Probation - Parole - Welfare - DCSS - LACS - LAPD, can all play a role in ending the problem, by saving the children.

These kids are being exposed to all kinds of things, second hand smoke, drugs, alcohol, guns, foul language, domestic violence, gangs, and the list goes on.

Just my thought

[FAMILY TO DECEASED]

WELL I AM FAMILY TO JUNIOR...& IT WASN'T RIGHT FOR THE SHERIFF TO KILL HIM....HIS GUN WAS FOR 1 IN THE CAR...AND FOR THEM TO SHOOT HIM KNOWING HE DIDN'T HAVE A GUN WAS WRONG...WHO CARES IF HE WAS IN A GANG...THATS BEYOND THE POINT...THE POINT IS HE HAS A WIFE AND KIDS AND FAMILY...JUST LIKE ALL OF YOU GUYS...AND FOR YOU TO GET ON HERE AND JUDGE AND NOT KNOW THE REAL STORY IS TRULY WRONG...BUT I WILL KEEP YOU GUYS IN PRAYER FOR YOUR IGNORANCE.

[Tired]

First of, I'm not white (as someone posted that only white people feel this way) and I agree with some of the other comments posted regarding the shooting. Since when has our society given criminals the right over tax paying citizens. I for one, am tired of my tax dollars paying to take care of lazy thugs. I agree with the statement made, that if people were to take responsibility of their actions and not blame others for thier consequences then we would live in a better society. I would like to thank anyone who risks their lives on a daily basis to ensure the well being of society as a whole!

[Tom Black]

Don't play the race card, Pilar. Granted, there are some bad cops out there, and they deserve to be punished and taken off the streets.

But look at what police are up against: Babies having babies (kids being raised in chaotic conditions with no discipline or role models), gangs, drugs, a proliferation of handguns, and topping it all off, a "don't snitch" mindset in which many blacks put themselves in danger because they would rather their neighbors get away with murder than be held accountable.

Far more blacks are killed by other blacks than by whites or bad cops of any race. What's that scriptural passage about removing the speck in your own eye before trying to remove the speck in your neighbor's eye?

[Very simple]

Um, what is so surprising here? If you are a gang banger, out on parole, and going around with semi automatic weapons, I sure as hell hope a cop kills you before you continue on with your gang banging nonsense. One less idiot on the street to deal with. Thank you, Sheriff's department.

[Aracely Corona]

Regarding the shooting that happened in Townsend (East LosAngeles) We need help. Those cops have been harrassing the person that they shot. We need justice. We are asking for your help. Please help us. You could us at 323-867-2158.

Thank you for your time

[SHUN]

What's wrong with you people! We should'nt be foused on his past that's irrelevant right now. He is still human. I bet that same cop wouldn't kill a dog like this. The point is this man got shot 8 times in the back. They say because they thought he had a gun, yeah right! People only get shot in the back while they are running away, think about it. Maybe he ran for a reason, who knows, who cares.Picture your mothers face on Player in this situation then post your comments. These are trained cops. They train for situations like this one. I can't believe that you people would want cops like this to serve and protect us. So they say he was a crip. Guess what , I am a blood for life. This could've been us. My heart goes out to the family of this murdered black citizen.

[Jason]

only a couple of you have it right. For all the rest of you that think player did the right thing by getting off on a murder case, out on parole, carrying a gun, probably threatening a lady and child with a gun before he got killed, go drive to one of these "problem areas" with your family, park your car, and walk around the neighborhood for a little bit... See what happens to you and your family. If you survive, good luck getting home in the saem condition you arrived in..... Lets keep the race card alive for means to justify what really took place............

[657]

The usual trigger defending comments by morbid individuals.

[Bones]

To the family members on this blog: I can understand that you're angry. However, please dont blame this person's troubled life on government not offering him rehabilitation. At age 9 his PARENTS should've put in therapy after witnessing his sister's death. If they weren't involved, then the FAMILY should have stepped up and put him in therapy. Then at age 15 his PARENTS should've been addressing with his delinquent behavior by finding some help for him. Felons clearly know the one basic rule: no guns. If they choose to ignore the rule, then they have to suffer the consequences of being in that life-jail, shot or killed. There really isn't anything else. We all, at some point in our lives, have to "man up" by growing up. Once he had a child, he should've put the guns down, got a job, and become the positive role model that his child needs. Instead, he chose the opposite. I dont care if he's black, white, green, or purple---he was WRONG because he should not have had the gun in his hand, nose, ear, car, bus, house, etc. Being a FELON means "I can't be around guns!"

[Steve Lyons]

OK let's deal with the facts reported in the article that the perp was 1) a gang member, 2) pointed a gun at an oficer. Why do you need a federal investigation. The perp should have been droped dead in his tracks.