LAPD Shoots Unarmed, Sleeping Couple in 'Self-Defense'

By Julie M. Rodriguez, Care2

08 March 16

n February 21, a couple in their early 30s, Kisha Michael and Marquintan Sandlin, went out for a date in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood. By the end of the night, both of them were dead — shot by police on the side of the road. Initially, the LAPD claimed that Michael threatened them with a gun, but as the story has developed, it’s been revealed that both victims were asleep in their vehicle at the time of the shooting.

That’s not the only detail that has the local community suspicious about what really happened that day. The LAPD hasn’t exactly been forthcoming with information on the incident. What we do know is that someone called to report a “suspicious vehicle,” and the police responded around 3 a.m. Apparently, the police arrived and found the couple unconscious in the car. After about 45 minutes spent attempting to “de-escalate” the situation by trying to rouse the occupants of the vehicle, police opened fire in response to an as-of-yet unnamed “threat” from Michael or Sandlin.

Despite the claims that Kisha Michael had a weapon, there have been no reports of a gun recovered at the scene. In an interview with the LA Times, Michael’s twin sister Trisha explained that her sister had never even owned a firearm, and that Sandlin was unarmed. Of course, it’s possible that the responding officers thought they saw something that might have looked like a gun in the dark, but if that’s the case, the department has declined to say. It’s also worth noting that mistaking harmless objects, like a pill bottle, for a gun has become a troublingly widespread defense in police shootings against unarmed suspects.

In the meantime, relatives of the victims are demanding answers. Some of them visited Inglewood Police headquarters this week, demanding to speak with the chief of police. They held signs reading “Murdered by Inglewood Police,” and shouted slogans including, “It could be your child next. You never know.” So far, the department has declined to respond while they collect all the details of the incident. It’s unclear whether there will be any investigation or action taken against the responding officers.

As if the senseless killing weren’t tragic enough on its own, it turns out that both Michael and Sandlin were single parents — she had three sons at home, while he had four daughters. That’s seven children orphaned for seemingly no reason.

This isn’t the first time the LAPD has been accused of abusing its power. In recent years, the department’s officers have come under fire for sexually assaulting a female suspect and then allowing her to fall from a moving vehicle, fatally shooting an autistic man for touching his waistband in a “suspicious” manner, firing more than 100 bullets at two elderly women delivering newspapers, punching a homeless woman on the bus, and racially profiling suspects, among other controversies. Unfortunately, this latest incident shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone given the department’s history, especially given the fact that both victims were black.

While the LAPD has been equipping officers with body cameras since last May, there’s no point in holding your breath for any incriminating footage. The department has already stated it’s not going to release any of the footage to the public, and it’s possible that the footage doesn’t even exist. LAPD officers are allowed to turn their cameras on and off at will, and they’re encouraged to review the recordings before filing reports on any controversial incidents. Unless the department is faced with incredible public pressure, the facts about what really happened that night may never be known.