The family of a Korean-American man who was killed in a police shooting is accusing the police of wrongfully killing their loved one.
The deceased’s father, Min Yang (65), the head of a college admissions consulting firm in Los Angeles, alleges that the Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) statement is false and accuses the police of ‘police brutality.’
On May 3, Yang told the Korea Daily, “I am heartbroken and devastated.” He was even more shocked to see the LAPD’s Media Relations Division’s tweet amidst the crisis.
“I don’t understand the announcement that my son was armed with a knife,” Yang said. “When I came back to the house in the evening after the police left, there was no knife missing. There were no knives in my son’s possession at the time.”
“Less than half an hour after the police arrived, I heard a gunshot and my son’s screams. I thought, ‘Did they shoot a rubber bullet,’ but I didn’t think it was a real gun,” said Yang. “But then I realized things were getting strange. The police lines were drawn, and I asked what was going on, but no one would tell me and they said I couldn’t come in.”
Yang said there were more than a few strange things.
“It doesn’t make sense that seven police officers would shoot a man because they couldn’t control him,” Yang said. “Moreover, the shots were fired around noon, and it was more than 30 minutes before paramedics arrived. I don’t know if they were trying to save his life.”
Yang’s son, who had long suffered from bipolar disorder, had been in improving condition for the past three years, Yang said.
“His longtime girlfriend helped him a lot, so he was doing well. Since April, my son told me that he was having a hard time, and that he was praying and reading the Bible every day to get through it,” Yang said. “Even the day before the incident, my son told us that he didn’t want to go to his house because there was a sick friend (himself) there, and that he wanted to start a new life and stay with us.”
“His illness was not that serious. We’ve only sent him to the hospital two or three times in the past 10 years, and he’s never shown any violent behavior toward his parents, no matter how panicked he was.”
“After a lifetime of fighting with his own pain, I thought that at the age of 40, we would finally find some peace within our family, but I didn’t expect this,” Yang said. “When my son was younger, he would burst into tears when a bird died on the street. He was cheerful and kind-hearted, and he didn’t even like to hurt other people,” Yang remembered of his son.
Yang, who worked in education for many years, said, “I didn’t share (my son’s story) because it wasn’t good news. But I worked hard to be a parent who was not ashamed of my child even in difficult circumstances, and I tried my best to give other children what I could not give my child.”
“We think we raised Yong (deceased son’s name), but now I think he raised us. I hope he’s comfortable now,” he said.
Meanwhile, on May 3, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office identified Yong Yang (40), as the mentally ill Korean-American man who was shot and killed by police at a 4plex in Koreatown. LAPD released a statement on May 4 saying, “Several attempts were made to communicate with Yang and encourage him to exit the residence; however, he refused.” “Yang was observed standing in the living room several feet away, armed with a large kitchen knife. Moments later, Yang advanced toward the officers and an Officer Involved Shooting occurred.”
LAPD also stated that “Yang was struck by gunfire, dropped the knife, and was taken into custody without further incident.” “An eleven-inch kitchen knife with a six-inch blade was recovered at the scene.”
Korean-American communities are requesting further information about the incident and are urging the LAPD to release the body-cam footage. While members of the Korean-American communities are requesting a swift response from the LAPD, the department is currently declining to provide further details.
BY SUAH JANG, JUNHAN PARK [jang.suah@koreadaily.com, park.junhan@koreadaily.com]
