Protesters Arrested After Homeless Black Man Killed by California Deputy (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Five protesters were arrested in San Clemente, California, as dozens of demonstrators gathered to call for justice in the Wednesday police killing of a homeless Black man.
Kurt Reinhold, 42, died Wednesday after two deputies from the sheriff department's Homeless Outreach Team encountered him about 1:12 p.m. near the Hotel Miramar, Sheriff Don Barnes said in a news conference.
A physical altercation ensued, Barnes said, and Reinhold "grabbed one of the deputies' weapons and appears to have tried to bring it out of the holster." It's unclear if Reinhold completely unholstered the weapon.
"It was a significant struggle with Mr. Reinhold that went on for some time, and the deputy did state four different times, 'He's got my gun,'" on four separate occasions," Barnes said, citing a video independently provided by a witness.
One of the deputies shot twice, Barnes said. The deputies tried to provide medical treatment, but Reinhold was pronounced dead at the scene.
The shooting, according to protocol, is under investigation by the Orange County District Attorney's Office, Barnes said, and the deputies have been placed on leave. They have not been identified.
The encounter was captured in surveillance video, but Barnes said it would not be released at this time, citing the ongoing investigation and pending interviews with witnesses.
The shooting further highlights the nation's struggle with racial injustice and police brutality following the deaths of Black people at the hands of police, including George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky.
Several dozen protesters gathered Thursday morning to demonstrate after Reinhold's shooting, Barnes said. Five were eventually arrested -- four for allegedly blocking traffic, and another for allegedly vandalizing a police car.
The death of Rienhold happened the same day protesters took to the streets in Louisville, Kentucky, after one of the police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Taylor was indicted by a grand jury and charged with wanton endangerment, but none of the officers — including the one whose shot killed Taylor — faced charges for her death.
