The Los Angeles police shooting of an unarmed homeless man may serve as an early test of how video from officer-worn cameras affects the investigation and public perception of such deadly encounters, says the Wall Street Journal. Police Chief Charlie Beck said two officers on the scene Sunday afternoon were wearing cameras, and that the footage captured provides a “unique perspective that we believe will be crucial in determining the propriety of the officer's actions.”
Advocacy groups asked the police department to release all video in its possession to the public in an effort to ease simmering tensions between police and homeless people living on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles, where the incident occurred. Beck said video wouldn't be released at this time because of the continuing investigation. Police said the man “began fighting and resisting arrest” after being detained as a suspect in a robbery. Attempts to subdue the man with a Taser failed, and the officers shot him in a struggle over one of the officers' handguns, police said.