A federal judge ordered the release of a video on Tuesday showing the LAPD fatally shooting unarmed man Ricardo DIaz-Zeferino.
The federal court later stayed the order at the request of the Gardena Police Department, but the video was already widely disseminated by various news sources at that point, USA Today reported.
Police were investigating the theft of a bicycle during the early hours of June 2, 2013 when they came across three men on the street. The video shows officers yelling at the three men to put their hands up and keep them up while already having their weapons drawn.
Witnesses later reported that Zeferino tried to explain that they weren't thieves and were actually looking for the bike. It's unclear if this means that the bike belonged to one of the three men, or if they were just doing a good deed. The possibility remains that they could have been lying, as well.
Zeferino takes a few small steps forward, but he is still non-threatening. He then removes his cap and lowers his hands, which prompts the officers to unleash a stream of bullets upon him and his friends.
Zeferino was shot eight times, while his friend, Eutiquio Acevedo Mendez, was shot once, according to the Associated Press. The shooting later resulted in the city paying a settlement for $4.7 million.
Gardena officials refused to release the videos for two years, saying that they would spark a "rush to judgement" against the officers. However, Judge Stephen Wilson dismissed the city's claims, saying the public had a right to know how and why its money was spent, according to The Guardian.
Attorney Samuel Paz said they may ask federal prosecutors to investigate whether the shooting was a civil rights violation.
"I think it is really helpful for the public to understand why they would be willing to pay $4.7m to settle the case when we were on the eve of trial," Paz told the Associated Press. "When the public sees the video and other law enforcement agencies see the video, this is very much a criminal act."
The police have come under public scrutiny with a recent wave of shootings, but this is a unique instance of video evidence being withheld for so long.
