A portion of the body cam footage of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer who shot and killed mentally ill Korean-American Yong Yang has been released, raising questions about the need to release the full video and audio recordings.
The Korea Daily, with attorney Chanyong Jeong, filed a Request for Records under the Public Records Act on May 10. Six days later, the LAPD released the body cam footage on its YouTube channel. The video is 24 minutes long, but only about 13 minutes of the actual scene is shown since it contains multiple angles of the same incident. It took about five hours for the police to clear the scene after the shooting.
“We need to see both the front and back videos and recordings, including Mr. Yang’s first aid situation after the shooting, which has not been released, to understand the incident in full context,” said Jeong. “Although some of the videos have been released, we will continue requesting the authorities release all the information.”
-Have you seen the body cam footage?
“Yes, I have seen it. Conflicting statements from the family and the police have resolved some unclear details. It was confirmed that Mr. Yang was carrying a knife and that the officer fired ‘multiple shots.’ But the video also shows police negligence.”
-What kind of negligence?
“First of all, the family had hoped for a non-coercive transfer to the hospital, and the police had tacitly agreed to it.”
-The police told Yang’s father at the time that they could use physical force if necessary.
“In the body cam footage, the officer in charge (supervisor) at the scene repeatedly told Mr. Yang’s father, Min Yang, that they could not ‘force him to go for medical treatment.’ The police then offered the option of arresting him for ‘trespassing,’ but the family did not sign a form agreeing to this. The family naturally did not anticipate that the police would use force, which could injure Mr. Yang.”
-What other police negligence was there?
“The biggest problem is that when the body camera footage was released, the deceased’s face was not covered and it was uploaded as it was. While it is positive that the LAPD released the body camera footage unusually quickly, it is an invasion of privacy and disrespectful to the deceased to release the footage without covering Mr. Yang’s face.”
-Since the name was released, why not the face?
“Mr. Yang was a patient, not a criminal. Moreover, he was in his parents’ home. Having a mental illness is a private matter, and even if the name is known, it is a clear negligence of the police to publish Mr. Yang’s face and house on YouTube for everyone to see.”
-Yang’s family made a statement after the release of the body camera footage that they had to watch their son die over and over again.
“As a bereaved family, it can be insulting and hurtful to have their son’s terrified expression and appearance published in full.”
-Was there any other police negligence?
“The reasonableness of the third shot to the abdomen, the availability of officers with non-lethal weapons, and the clinician’s statements in the 911 call are areas that need further investigation.”
-What public records did you request from the city and LAPD on May 10?
“We requested body cam and in-car camera footage and audio recordings from 10:50 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 2 to provide a general overview of the incident. However, the body camera footage released on May 16 was edited to include only key parts and is shorter than what is available.”
-The short but important part has already been released. Do we need more?
“We need to see everything, including the conversations between the officers in the car and the scene, as well as the process afterward. Many people think it’s over when the big stuff comes out, but it’s not. We need to get all the recordings because important clues can be found in the little conversations that are often ignored, such as whether the officer who shot was prejudiced.”
-Has the LAPD responded to the records request?
“We have not received a response yet. If they don’t send us a ‘determination letter’ on our public records request by May 27, we plan to file a civil lawsuit.”
BY SUAH JANG, HOONSIK WOO [jang.suah@koreadaily.com]
