A deputy shot and killed a 35-year-old Lennox man on Wednesday night. Deputies patrolling the area believed he was a drug dealer who was reaching for a gun, according to police reports.
Christian Portillo, 35, was shot twice in the chest and died at the scene.
With the fatal shooting of Portillo the number of deaths this year at the hands of law enforcement in Los Angeles County has reached 28 - or roughly four a month.
Deputies were patrolling the area and decided to conduct a narcotics investigation after they spotted “a known narcotics dealer” sitting in a SUV in his driveway in the 11000 block of Dalerose Avenue near West 111th Street around 11:45 p.m, according to police reports.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Portillo became startled when he saw the deputies and quickly reached under his seat. One of the deputies fired striking Portillo in the upper chest. After a search of the vehicle, deputies found a silver colored cell phone. No drugs or a weapon were found.
Postal employee Kevin Wicks was killed by Inglewood police officers two days earlier, on July 21, after he answered the door of his North Hillcrest Boulevard apartment. Authorities said that Inglewood police officer Brian Ragan fired on Wicks in self-defense while investigating a family disturbance call because Wicks raised a gun at police. His death has sparked outrage among residents who learned that Ragan was involved in the shooting death of an unarmed man in May.
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Comments
There are 1 comments posted for this article.
I believe that this shooting by the Police was unjustifiable and should be consequences for the officer involved. This 35 year old was a religious man. He was doing nothing wrong for this to happen to him and his family. The Police force needs to redo thier training because they can't go around just killing people. This needs to get looked into. My sympathy to the families of Mr. Portillo.
Posted on July 28, 2008 11:26 AM by Grace Corrales