Video has emerged of police officers in Huntington Park, California shooting dead a double amputee as the man allegedly tried to flee. Three cops are said to have fired at least eight rounds at 36-year-old Anthony Lowe Jr, wounding him fatally.
Authorities say that Lowe had stabbed someone without provocation and was trying to run away from officers. They claim that despite his lack of limbs, which would undoubtedly make him unable to outrun able-bodied officers, they shot him as they were worried he might through the knife he was carrying in their direction.
In a video posted to Twitter, Anthony Lowe Jr can be seen jumping out of his wheelchair with his knife. One of the officers tries to tase him, which was unsuccessful. This is when both officers present at that time draw their guns to pursue the man. A few seconds later, a third officer arrives and all three begin firing, hitting Lowe in the upper torso.
Anthony Lowe Jr didn’t survive his injuries
Huntington Park, California police officers shoot dead Anthony Lowe Jr, a double amputee man who tried to run away from them on the stumps of his legs. The cops said they were afraid Lowe would throw the knife he had at them. pic.twitter.com/y4FjqED4Hy
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) January 31, 2023
Lowe fell forward onto the ground and was handcuffed. However, it’s no wonder he put up no resistance as he was declared dead at the scene.
“The suspect was tased at least twice by Huntington Park Officers but the deployment of the taser was ineffective,” said a statement from the LA County Sheriff’s Office. “The suspect attempted to throw the butcher knife at the officers again, resulting in an officer-involved shooting.”
Lowe’s alleged victim was seen to be suffering from “a life-threatening stab wound resulting in a collapsed lung and internal bleeding.” The victim was able to describe Lowe to officers, saying that he “dismounted the wheelchair, ran to the victim without provocation, and stabbed him in the side of the chest with a 12-inch butcher knife” before leaving in his wheelchair.
Anthony Lowe Jr’s family wants answers. Regardless of his crime, they don’t believe he should have been shot eight times. “They murdered my son, in a wheelchair with no legs. They do need to do something about it,” his mother, Dorothy Lowe, said in a press conference. His family says he became a double amputee after a separate altercation with police in Texas, according to the Los Angeles Times.
