Officer-Involved Shooting Occurs as Police Disband Gang Fight NR11127rf

UPDATE
March 25, 2011

The officer who fired his weapon in the incident below has been identified. He is Police Officer III Salvatore De Bella; he has been an officer in the Department for five years and six months.

Los Angeles: An officer-involved shooting occurred when Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) 77th Division officers responded to an assault-related call and discovered a gang fight.

On March 18, 2011, at about 2:30 p.m., two patrol officers in response to a radio call were investigating a fight between gang members in a parking lot at Crenshaw Boulevard and Slauson Avenue.  When the officers arrived, they saw about 10 gang members fighting and heard gunfire.  They also noticed one of the fighters, 29-year-old Samiel Asghedom, was in possession of a gun.  Moments later, when Asghedom spotted the officers, he pointed his gun toward them, and an officer-involved shooting occurred.

The suspect was not struck by gunfire and then submitted to arrest without further resistance.  Additional officers began arriving at the scene and detained some of the individuals who were fighting.  No officers or suspect were injured during the incident, and Asghedom’s loaded semi-automatic pistol was recovered at the location.

The LAPD’s Force Investigation Division also responded to the skirmish and are investigating the officer-involved shooting.  Gang Intervention Taskforce detectives from the 77th Division are conducting investigations regarding an assault-with-a-deadly-weapon and the crime against the officers.