FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 16, 2019
CONTACTS:
Pete White, Los Angeles Community Action Network, 213-434-1594 | petew@cangress.org Dan Stormer, Civil Rights Attorney & Board Member, National Lawyers Guild Los Angeles, 213-361-7751 | dstormer@hadsellstormer.com
Community Wants Answers After Police Shooting of Unarmed Black Man in Venice
Neighbors, advocates and lawyers want to know why Los Angeles police officers shot Mr. John Penny–an unarmed, Black, unhoused man–on the evening of August 14th at the intersection of Thornton Court and Pacific Avenue in Venice.
According to neighbors, Mr. Penny was in the driveway of a private home, where he has been staying with the property manager’s permission. When police approached, the property manager made clear that Mr. Penny had permission to be there and a police response was neither warranted nor wanted. The property manager was ordered to move away before Police aggressively confronted Mr. Penny, firing several shots. Mr. Penny was taken to a medical facility in police custody, and subsequently booked into jail at 3:48am.
Community members demand answers about what happened. They also want the names of officers involved in the shooting. “How does someone on private property with permission to be there end up being shot by police?,” said civil rights attorney Dan Stormer.
Los Angeles Community Action Network, Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, Venice Justice Committee, and National Lawyers Guild Los Angeles decry this tragic incident of police violence against one of our most vulnerable community members.