Black Lives Matter co-founder's cousin dies after police tasered him following car accident
Topics: Black Lives Matter, US News
Stewart Perrie
Featured Image Credit: Patrisse Cullors/Instagram. Los Angeles Police Department/YouTube.
Topics: Black Lives Matter, US News
The cousin of one of the founders of Black Lives Matter has died after being tasered by police in Los Angeles.
Keenan Anderson, the nephew of Patrisse Cullors, was involved in a car accident at Venice and Lincoln boulevards.
People involved in the incident flagged down an officer and alleged Anderson was to blame.
Authorities say Keenan was 'running in the middle of the street and exhibiting erratic behavior'.
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The Guardian says the 31-year-old high school teacher and father was told to move onto the sidewalk by a police officer, who ordered him to 'get up against the wall'.
The outlet says Anderson complained to police that 'they're trying to kill me'.
Keenan tried to flee the scene, which sparked a police chase. Officers yelled at the 31-year-old to get onto the ground.
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore says they were concerned Anderson was under the influence of drugs or alcohol and wanted to detain him.
Body camera footage shows he was eventually subdued and multiple officers held him down. One officer was seen with their elbow on the back of Keenan's neck.
He kept yelling 'they're trying to kill me' and at one point, he even said: "They’re trying to George Floyd me."
One officer tasered him for 30 seconds straight.
Paramedics arrived onto the scene and took him to hospital. Los Angeles Police said he died four-and-a-half hours later following a cardiac arrest.
Patrisse Cullors is devastated by the incident and told The Guardian: "My cousin was asking for help, and he didn’t receive it. He was killed.
“Nobody deserves to die in fear, panicking and scared for their life.
"My cousin was scared for his life.
"He spent the last 10 years witnessing a movement challenging the killing of Black people. He knew what was at stake and he was trying to protect himself.
"Nobody was willing to protect him.”
Cullors said police should have called an ambulance immediately after seeing the car accident and not treated Keenan 'like a potential criminal'.
“These types of killings and this type of force will not be interrupted unless we have courageous elected officials come forward and challenge not just the police, but also the policies," she said.
In a statement on Instagram, the BLM co-founder added: "LAPD has killed three people this year. One of them is my family member.
"Keenan deserves to be alive right now, his child deserves to be raised by his father.
"Keenan we will fight for you and for all of our loved ones impacted by state violence."