Three Los Angeles police officers won’t be prosecuted despite their alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of an unarmed man — an incident that was captured on live television — according to a letter from the city’s district attorney, the Huffington Post reported Tuesday.
The letter, written by Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey, was reportedly dated Jan. 29 and said there was “insufficient evidence” to bring charges against the officers involved because it was unclear whether they were acting in self-defense when they shot Brian Beaird, 51.
The incident, which allegedly involved Officers Armando Corral, Leonardo Ortiz and Michael Ayala, occurred on Dec. 13, 2013 after Beaird led police on an hour-long high-speed chase through Los Angeles, according to HuffPost. The chase and fatal shooting were captured on live television by local station KTLA.
Beaird, a National Guard veteran, suffered from mental illness and, his family told the Los Angeles Times, had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression.
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck found, in an internal investigation conducted in 2014, that the officers were “not justified” in their use of force. According to the report, Beaird was hit by 13 of 21 shots fired, three of which were fatal and were reportedly fired while he was on the ground. At the time of the fatal shooting, Beaird was reportedly unarmed despite officers believing he had a weapon on him, HuffPost reported.
LAPD Commander Andrew Smith told HuffPost that all three LAPD officers may face termination and are currently off duty without pay.
The Beaird family received a $5 million settlement after the incident, according to the Times.
