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The Los Angeles Community College District joined calls for an investigation into the circumstances of the police shooting death of an 18-year-old Los Angeles Trade-Technical College student, Andres Guardado. Guardado, a Latino man, was shot by a deputy from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which said that Guardado “produced a handgun” and attempted to flee. He was fatally shot by a deputy after a short foot chase.
Guardado's family said he worked as a security guard near the location where he was shot, according to the Los Angeles Times. Police said he was under the 21-year age requirement to be a security guard in California, that he was not wearing a gun belt or security uniform, and that the gun he was carrying was not licensed.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva said investigators were gathering evidence and that he could not provide specific details on what prompted the shooting.
Guardado was studying to become an electrician or a mechanic, according to his family.
“LACCD strongly supports the call by Mr. Guardado’s family for a full and independent investigation into the circumstances of the killing,” the community college district said in a statement. “His death comes at a time of national outcry for social justice and significant police reform regarding the use of deadly force by law enforcement and for greater emphasis on de-escalation techniques and community policing. We must never be desensitized to, or normalized by, the alarming number of deaths by law enforcement of black and brown men and women in this country -- it cannot be tolerated and the time for police reform is now.”
The community college district, which contracts with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department's Community College Bureau for law enforcement services at its nine colleges and district facilities, also said it is “currently reviewing with the Bureau the District’s expectations surrounding its community policing practices that include training, professional development and response protocols to ensure the consistent safety and protection of students, faculty and staff.”
