Sheriff Orders Investigation in Deputy-Involved Shooting
Sheriff Lee Baca will meet with community activists Thursday to address the controversial deadly shooting of a 36-year-old man by a deputy.
The meeting comes one day after Baca ordered an expedited internal investigation into the shooting and a set of recommendations on the best way to carry out a chase. The community activists are urging the sheriff to do even more by revamping his department's policies on the use of deadly force.
The Sheriff's Department said Darrick Collins was shot Monday night when he appeared to be going for a weapon. It turned out to be a cell phone. He had been suspected of carrying out an armed robbery, but the department now says there's no indication he was involved.
Collins, a 36-year-old father of two hoping to become a barber, died after being hit by three bullets at 10:07 p.m. Monday in the 1200 block of Poindexter Street.
The Sheriff's Department said he matched the description of an armed robbery suspect, ran away after being ordered to "freeze" and was shot by a deputy when he appeared to be reaching in his waistband for a weapon.
Several members of Collins' family described his death as a murder.
Sheriff’s Department Spokesman Steve Whitmore said that, in having the department quickly examine Monday’s shooting, Baca is not saying that "anything was wrong" with it.
"He just wants to examine from top to bottom and maybe training has to be refocused," Whitmore said.
