FEB. 2025. Blues Vol 41 No.2

To date, the FBI has

To date, the FBI has reviewedthousands of videos and photosassociated with this case. Manyof those images have come intothe FBI’s digital tip line. As theinvestigation continues, we arestill asking anyone with informationor video of the incidentto reach out to www.fbi.gov/bourbonstreetattack or call1-800-CALL-FBI. The FBI willnot be providing any on-camerainterviews at this time.MAN WHO TOLD DISPATCH-ERS HE WOULD ‘SHOOT SOME-BODY’ APPROACHES LEOSWITH SCREWDRIVER BEFOREOISBy Andrea Klick Daily Breeze,TORRANCE, CA. — Four officersshot a man to death lastmonth in Torrance after herefused to stop walking towardthem holding what they thoughtwas a knife, according to bodyworncamera footage releasedWednesday, Jan. 15.The video revealed the manwas actually armed with ascrewdriver, and that, prior tothe police encounter, he appearedto be bleeding fromself-inflicted wounds. Audioreleased by police also recordedthe man — for unknown reasons— summoning police to hislocation.The man, later identified as34-year-old Leonardo Diaz ofLos Angeles, called police dispatcharound 4:40 p.m. on Dec. 2and reported a man was armedwith a gun in the 2900 block ofOregon Court, south of Del AmoBoulevard and east of MapleAvenue, the Torrance Police Departmentsaid in a Critical IncidentCommunity Briefing Video.When a dispatcher askedwhere the suspect was, thecaller said he was the one with agun, according to a recording ofthe 911 call.“I’m gonna shoot somebody,”the caller said. “I’m gonna stabsomebody.”The dispatcher asked thecaller why he wanted to shootsomeone, but the call droppedor hung up, according to therecording. A dispatcher tried tocall the man back, but the callhung up again, police said.Officers responded to the area,and police used technology tolocate and identify the caller asDiaz.Police found Diaz in the driver’sseat of a green Dodge Chargeron Oregon and planned to approachhim.An officer told Diaz, who hadhis driver’s side door ajar, to rolldown all of his windows, openhis door all the way and makehis hands visible multiple times,body-worn camera footageshowed.At one point, Diaz appears toopen the door further and lookback at officers before pullingthe door back again. Officerssaid they believe he has a knifeCLICK TO WATCHand is bleeding, according to thebody-worn camera footage.Dispatch audio released by policerecorded someone summoningless-lethal resources to thescene, but it wasn’t clear if anyofficer with a less-lethal weaponwas on scene or used such aweapon.An officer tells Diaz repeatedlyto open the door, show his handsand drop the item. Diaz then exitsthe car and continues to walktowards officers while they tellhim to turn around and get onthe ground, which he fails to do,the footage shows.Four officers then shoot at Diazwith lethal weapons. As he fallsto the ground, officers continueto command him to drop whatthey believed was a knife, accordingto the body-worn footage.After the shooting, police renderedmedical aid to Diaz andcontacted paramedics with theTorrance Fire Department, whopronounced Diaz dead at thescene.Diaz appeared to have multiplewounds to his wrists and bodythat police believe were therebefore the shooting.74 The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25

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