The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has voted unanimously to direct county coroner Dr. Jonathan Lucas to conduct inquests into the 2020 deputy shooting deaths of 47-year-old Dana “Malik” Young Jr., 41-year-old Samuel Herrera Jr. and 29-year-old Dijon Kizzee.
The coroner has already ruled each death a homicide and, in all three cases, determined that the cause of death was gunshot wounds.
Related: The Dream Team Stands For Justice on Behalf of Dijon Kizee’s Family
A review by the District Attorney’s Office is underway to determine whether each shooting amounted to a lawful use of force. The board said the inquests were needed to provide full transparency to the families of the men killed and to the public, while Sheriff Alex Villanueva accused the board of wrongly suggesting that the shootings were unjustified.
Related: Attorneys: Dijon Kizzee Fatally Shot by Deputies While Lying on Ground
