Los Angeles, CA — On August 28, authorities released highly-edited footage of the shooting of Jeremy Flores, a Chicano who lived in the Boyle Heights neighborhood. Flores was killed by LAPD Hollenbeck Division officers on July 14.
Under two California Laws passed in 2018, AB 748 and SB 1421, the LAPD was forced to release body-worn footage 45 days after the killing of Jeremy Flores. Despite the omission of the head-on footage of the officers firing the lethal shots that stole Flores’ life, the video still shows the atrocities they committed on July 14.
Flores was holding a toy when he was killed – an airsoft BB gun. No aid was rendered for hours. SWAT fired tear gas at his body.
A drone was deployed and is shown in the newly released video approaching Flores’ deceased body. Though he was slumped over his seat, officers are heard in the video ordering Flores to comply and to exit the vehicle. The DOJ is investigating the shooting.
Since his killing, Flores family, along with Centro CSO and supportive Raza, have been fighting and demanding the unedited body cam footage be released by LAPD.
The struggle for accountability and justice has been led by the family of Jeremy Flores and Centro CSO for the past 45 days since his murder. There have been press conferences, protests and marches to police stations and comments made at LAPD commission meetings.
When Paola Mendez, the girlfriend of Jeremy Flores, was asked about the video, she responded, “They used the phrase ‘didn’t comply’ to shield their department – but the truth is, Jeremy wasn’t resisting. He was unresponsive, dying from the very gunshot wounds they inflicted. To claim Jeremy ‘refused to exit the vehicle’ – before being shot at and after – is not only misleading, it’s a cruel manipulation of the facts.”
Mendez continued, “Jeremy was wearing a seatbelt. He was gravely injured. He could not move. The so-called ‘weapon’ was on his lap, not in his hands, and there is no evidence whatsoever that he pointed it at anyone. He was dying, not defying. Suggesting he had the ability to comply after being shot is not just dishonest, it’s an attempt to rewrite the truth and erase accountability. We will not allow this narrative to stand unchallenged. Jeremy deserves justice, not distortion.”
“This demands to be addressed. What happened to Jeremy was not just unfair – it was a brutal misuse of power,” said Mendez. ”The force used against him was excessive and unjustified. And now, the body cam footage released to the public tells a distorted story. It’s been selectively edited to reflect their narrative, not the truth. Key moments are missing. Context is erased. This is not transparency, it’s manipulation. We will not stay silent while they rewrite reality to protect themselves.”
Sergio Flores, the brother of Jeremy Flores, said of the highly-edited body cam footage, “It’s insane how a badge gives you the right to kill people and walk freely but if it’s done without it, you’re a monster and in prison for life. It’s a sad world we live in. Justice for my little brother Jeremy!”
Flores also called out Bruce Cross, the officer seen narrating the video that LAPD posted. Flores said, “Bruce Coss had the audacity to say that once my brother was dead, Jeremy Flores was taken into custody without further incident. My brother was dead way before that! The killers and everyone involved should be locked in prison for life, not out here ‘protecting the streets.’ You’re who we have to watch out for!”
Beña Martinez, a member of Centro CSO, said, “This is a clear injustice, and the rifle-bearing officer especially took the law into his own hands and deserves to be jailed. He stripped Jeremy Flores of any rights afforded under our laws when he decided he was judge, jury and executioner instead of an investigating officer.”
“When I see Jeremy’s family, I am reminded of Boyle Heights circa 2016,” said Sol Márquez of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO). Marquez lived next door to the apartment complex where 14-year-old undocumented Chicano Jesse Romero frequented. He was chased by LAPD killer cops Eden Medina and Alejandro Higareda on August 9, 2016, shot and killed, despite Romero holding his hands up. “If we let LAPD get away with it, nobody will be punished or held accountable for taking Jeremy’s life. If he was doing something wrong, he could have had his day in court. Even monsters like Trump get a day in court. This is why we will keep uplifting his name and fighting to prosecute Jeremy’s killers.”
LAPD has shot at least 18 Chicanos in Boyle Heights since 2015. Centro CSO is the only organization on the ground in Boyle Heights fighting back against police terror. Centro CSO fights alongside impacted family members, who are working-class Chicanos, as they fight for justice for their loved ones.
CSO uplifts the demands of “Jail killer cops” and “Community control of police” while wanting an end to the killing of Raza and Black People. Centro CSO demands that LAPD Hollenbeck officers Fernando R Godinez, Livier Jimenez and Michael R Ruiz be charged with the murder of Jeremy Flores!
You can keep up with Centro CSO on all social media platforms.
#LosAngelesCA #CA #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops #PoliceCrimes #CentroCSO #JeremyFlores
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