LAPD Chief Recommends Charges for Officer in Venice Shooting

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck has recommended criminal charges against an officer who killed an unarmed homeless man in Venice last May. 

Beck told the Los Angeles Times that investigators concluded that the victim, Brendon Glenn, was on his stomach and attempting to push himself off the ground when Officer Clifford Proctor opened fire, hitting the man in the back. 

Proctor’s attorney says the officer saw Glenn reaching for his partner’s gun. 

Beck says after reviewing video, witness accounts and other evidence, investigators determined that Glenn was not reaching for Proctor’s gun or his partner’s weapon at the time of the shooting.  Proctor’s partner told investigators he did not know why the officer opened fire. 

Beck made the recommendation for charges last month to Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey.

Lacey will ultimately make the decision on whether to file charges against Proctor.