The short answer
Ezell Ford, a 25-year-old African-American man, was shot and killed by two LAPD officers in Florence, Los Angeles on August 11, 2014. A city oversight review later found one officer had acted within policy while the other had violated Ford's civil rights, but no criminal charges were filed against either officer.
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Suggest coverage for Killing of Ezell FordEzell Earl Ford (born October 14, 1988) was a 25-year-old African-American man who was shot and killed by Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers Sharlton Wampler and Antonio Villegas in the Florence neighborhood of Los Angeles on August 11, 2014. Ford's family and neighbors said he had been diagnosed with depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, and that neighborhood residents, including local police, were aware of his mental illness.
According to LAPD accounts, officers Wampler and Villegas approached Ford during an "investigative stop" at around 8:20 p.m., saying he made "suspicious movements" and appeared to conceal his hands. The officers said Ford then "attacked" and "tackled" Wampler, leading to a struggle in which Ford allegedly reached for an officer's holstered weapon. Villegas fired two shots and Wampler fired a third, fatally wounding Ford. Multiple eyewitnesses disputed this account, saying Ford had raised his hands and was tackled and shot while lying on the ground, complying with police orders. Ford's autopsy, released in December 2014, showed he was shot three times — in the back, side, and right arm — with a "muzzle imprint" on the back wound indicating it was fired at close range.
The shooting prompted multiple investigations. LAPD Chief Charlie Beck's report, completed in 2015, found both officers justified. A separate report by Inspector General Alex Bustamante found the shooting justified but concluded Wampler lacked reasonable grounds to suspect Ford of possessing drugs. On June 9, 2015, the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners issued a decision finding Villegas's actions justified but ruling that Wampler had violated Ford's civil rights by detaining him and had acted outside LAPD policy in multiple respects, including tactics, drawing his weapon, and use of force. The Board's ruling was not legally binding; disciplinary decisions rested with Beck, and any criminal charges with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office. In January 2017, county prosecutors announced that Wampler and Villegas would not face criminal charges.
Ford's death, coming two days after the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, drew comparisons between the two cases and sparked numerous protests in Los Angeles, including marches, sit-ins outside LAPD headquarters, and demonstrations at meetings of the Board of Police Commissioners. Civil rights leaders and activists called for the officers' termination and prosecution, mandatory body cameras, and reforms to policies on mental health and use of force.
Ford's family filed a federal wrongful-death lawsuit in September 2014, which was voluntarily dismissed in 2016, and a second wrongful-death lawsuit in state court in March 2015, alleging civil rights violations and racial bias. The City of Los Angeles settled this second lawsuit in October 2016 for $1.5 million.
Ezell Earl Ford is born, the oldest of seven children.
Ford is shot and killed by LAPD officers Sharlton Wampler and Antonio Villegas in Florence, Los Angeles.
Civil rights leaders meet with LAPD officials; a rally and march is held in Los Angeles.
LAPD publicly names Wampler and Villegas as the officers who shot Ford.
Ford's funeral is held at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles.
Ford's family files a federal wrongful-death lawsuit against the LAPD.
Ford's autopsy report is released, showing he was shot three times, including a close-range shot to the back.
Ford's parents file a second wrongful-death lawsuit in state court against Wampler and Villegas.
The Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners rules that Villegas was justified but Wampler violated Ford's civil rights and LAPD policy.
Ford's family holds a memorial service at Inglewood Park Cemetery.
Ford's family voluntarily dismisses the federal wrongful-death lawsuit.
The City of Los Angeles settles the state wrongful-death lawsuit for $1.5 million.
Los Angeles County prosecutors announce Wampler and Villegas will not face criminal charges.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
25-year-old African-American man shot and killed by LAPD officers on August 11, 2014.[3]
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South Los Angeles, California · 1970s
Eulia Mae "Eula" Love, a 39-year-old widow and mother, was shot and killed by two Los Angeles Police Department officers on January 3, 1979, after a dispute over an unpaid gas bill escalated into a confrontation involving a knife. The officers were exonerated by the Los Angeles County District Attorney in April 1979, but the killing sparked lasting public outrage and reforms to LAPD use-of-force policy.
Image recordEditorial useSourceSOLVEDListenNear 2700 block of Raymond Avenue, Adams-Normandie neighborhood, Los Angeles, California · 2010s
On April 11, 2012, USC graduate students Ming Qu and Ying Wu were shot and killed while sitting in a parked car near campus in South Los Angeles during an attempted robbery. Two men, Bryan Barnes and Javier Bolden, were later convicted and sentenced to life without parole.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons; 1973 Motown publicity photoPublic domainSourceSOLVEDListenWestern Heights, Los Angeles, California · 1980s
On April 1, 1984, singer Marvin Gaye was fatally shot at his parents' Los Angeles home by his father, Marvin Gay Sr., following a violent confrontation. Gay Sr. pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and received probation.
Fulton neighborhood alley, Minneapolis, Minnesota · 2017
Justine Damond, a 40-year-old Australian-American woman, was fatally shot by Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor in July 2017 after she called 911 to report a possible assault near her home. Noor was later convicted of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter; the murder conviction was later overturned on appeal, and he was resentenced to a shorter term.
Credit: Lorie Shaull from St Paul, United StatesCC BY-SA 2.0SourceSOLVEDListenFort Worth, Texas · 2019
Atatiana Jefferson, a 28-year-old Black woman, was fatally shot by Fort Worth police officer Aaron Dean through her bedroom window during a welfare/open-structure check in the early morning of October 12, 2019. Dean was later convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to nearly 12 years in prison.
SOLVEDListenCudell Recreation Center, Cleveland, Ohio · 2014
On November 22, 2014, 12-year-old Tamir Rice was fatally shot by Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmann while holding an airsoft replica gun at Cudell Recreation Center; a grand jury declined to indict either officer involved, and the city later settled a wrongful-death lawsuit with Rice's family for $6 million.
