One week after Brandon Boyd was shot and killed on the steps of his community church , his family, alongside the Black Lives Matter group of Long Beach, are demanding accountability, saying Boyd was experiencing mental health distress.
Tiffany Boyd, who wasn’t present when her brother died, shared a statement from the family during a press conference Tuesday, at the same place where Brandon was killed.
“He was peaceful and in need of help. Despite this, the police decided to escalate the situation by deploying a flash grenade, a violent and unnecessary act that led to the fatal shooting of my big brother,” she said.
On Tuesday, Nov. 19, AIR7 was the only news helicopter overhead when Long Beach Police used the flashbang near the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and 52nd St.
The video shows Boyd sitting just before the smoke erupts with something in his hand. Police released a photo of the firearm officers said they recovered from the scene.
An armed man is dead and an officer was injured in a shootout at the end of a lengthy standoff on the steps of a Long Beach church Tuesday.