L.A. Panel Rules Police Killing of Homeless Venice Man Was Unjustified

LOS ANGELES -- The city's Police Commission says the fatal officer-involved shooting of an unarmed homeless man near the Venice boardwalk last year was unjustified.

Police say Officer Clifford Proctor and a partner tried to detain Brendon Glenn, 29, after reports that he had been harassing people and they saw him in an altercation with a bar bouncer.

Proctor shot Glenn twice as the man lay on the ground, saying he opened fire after Glenn grabbed his partner's holster.

But video from the bar security camera contradicted the account, Chief Charlie Beck said in a report to the commission. Investigators concluded that Glenn was on his stomach trying to push himself up when Proctor shot him.

Beck has recommended the officer face criminal charges. It is the first time Beck has done so in connection with more than 100 fatal police shootings.

A call to Proctor's attorney, Lawrence Hanna, seeking comment wasn't immediately returned.

Glenn's family has sued over the death in state and federal courts. The suits allege that Glenn was leaving when officers grabbed him without justification.

The suits also contend that the police chief failed to adequately discipline his officers, "creating a culture of impunity within the LAPD that encourages such violence and incidents of unreasonable force against the public."