The Los Angeles Police Department has released bodycam footage of the Jan. 3 incident involving the cousin of Black Lives Matter (BLM) co-founder Patrisse Cullors.
As previously reported by REVOLT, Cullors revealed through a social media post that her cousin Keenan Anderson, a 31-year-old teacher, was killed by the LAPD. In the video, you can see him struggling against officers and begging for help. One officer had his elbow on Anderson’s neck and at one point, you could hear him shout, “They’re trying to George Floyd me” before being tased. Anderson was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead hours after the incident from cardiac arrest.
According to LAPD police chief Michel Moore, the footage was expedited due to the amount of public concern surrounding the incident. “As this investigation continues, I will pay close attention to the use of the taser,” he said during a press conference on Wednesday (Jan. 11). “Our department policy states there is no preset limit of the number of times a taser can be used in a particular situation, however, officers should generally avoid repeated or simultaneous activations to avoid potential injury to the subject.”
“This is my cousin Keenan Anderson. He was killed by LAPD in Venice on Jan. 3, 2023,” Cullors captioned an Instagram post that included photos of him, one of which showed Anderson holding his young son. “My cousin was an educator and worked with high school-aged children. He was an English teacher. 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,” she continued. The BLM founder concluded her post, adding, “Keenan, we will fight for you and for all of our loved ones impacted by state violence. I love you.”